Matt Damon has revealed that his wife Luciana originally thought Ben Affleck was “the cute one” after watching Good Will Hunting in theaters-seven years before she and Damon ever met.
At a Glance
- Luciana Damon told her future husband she had a crush on Affleck when she first saw their 1997 film
- The couple met in 2003 and married in 2005; they now have four daughters
- Luciana produces both Damon and Affleck’s latest projects, including Netflix’s The Rip
- Why it matters: The long-running Hollywood friendship now extends to both families and professional collaborations
Damon, 55, shared the anecdote Monday, Jan. 12, while he and Affleck, 53, promoted The Rip on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show. “This is f—ing completely true,” Damon prefaced, after host Howard Stern asked whether Affleck had been present the night the actor met Luciana in 2003.
“After we’d been together for a little while, probably a few months, she admitted that-I think I met her best friend from high school and it came out that the two of them went and saw Good Will Hunting together and her best friend thought I was the cute one and she thought Ben was the cute one,” Damon said.
He added with mock indignation, “So she admitted to me… I’m like ‘You got the wrong one?’ She told me that 23 years ago.”
From Crush to Collaboration
Affleck quickly noted that any lingering crush has long since faded, especially since Luciana now works closely with both men. She serves as a producer on The Rip-which begins streaming on Netflix Jan. 16-and on Affleck’s next directorial effort, Animals.
“She’s a great producer and a really good friend and yeah, I never got that vibe from her,” Affleck joked. “So I think something I did in real life rubbed it off.”
Damon chimed in, “Finally she met him and all that went away.”
Meeting in Miami
The Damons’ origin story began in Miami in 2003 while Matt was filming the comedy Stuck on You. They wed in December 2005 and share four daughters: Alexia, 25; Isabella, 19; Gia, 17; and Stella, 15.
During the interview Damon also recalled that Stuck on You script supervisor Steve Gehrke-who later worked on The Rip and both of Damon’s films with Christopher Nolan-was with him the night he met Luciana, a detail he only realized years later.
“I couldn’t remember who I was with ’cause all I remembered was her,” Damon said.
Affleck quipped, “He knows why he’s a good husband because he’s like ‘all I can see was her,’ and I’m like ‘But also, you were hammered, and it’s a little vague,’ but he’s smart enough not to say that.”
Affleck’s Take on Their Marriage
Though absent that first night, Affleck said he has “been witness to a lot of beautiful lovely things from both of them along the way.”
“It’s a really gorgeous marriage and friendship and two people who when they’re apart and independent of one another are one another’s partner,” he observed. “I didn’t see the first day but I have a feeling it’s improved.”
As the segment wrapped, Affleck couldn’t resist one last joke: “I should ask Lucy what her friend’s number is,” referring to the high-school pal who had preferred Damon back in 1997.
“She’s married,” Damon shot back.
“I just thought it was a funny joke-I can’t resist,” Affleck replied. “Story of my life.”
Key Takeaways
- Luciana’s initial Hollywood crush was on Affleck, not Damon
- The Damons have built both a family and production partnerships with Affleck
- The Rip marks another professional milestone for the longtime friends and their spouses
