Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Debunk Casey Affleck'sGood Will HuntingAudition Claim: 'Everything About That Story Is Untrue'

Mar. 15, 2025

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Matt DamonandBen Afflecksay thatCasey Affleck’s claim he was forced to audition for his role in their 1997 filmGood Will Huntingis “a bold-face lie.“In an interview withDeadline, the longtime friends and actors responded to Casey’s statement from anearlier interview, in which Casey said that the two made him audition for his role in the film, even after he put the wheels in motion to getting it made.“I was going to school when Ben and Matt … said, ‘Hey can you please get this script to Gus Van Sant?’ " Casey, 49, toldDeadlinein July of how the duo initially got their script in front of the legendary director (with whom Casey worked on the 1995 filmTo Die For).After Van Sant said he wanted to make the film, Casey toldDeadlinethat Ben and Matt “sort of badgered me in” to appearing in the film.“So I went and auditioned for it. They were badgering me into doing it, and then asked me to come in and audition, which I thought was — I’ll never stop making fun of them for that,” Casey said.Elsewhere in the interview, Casey claimed that Ben, now 52, and Matt, now 54, were “sitting behind the camera in the casting office, making me read.“But the story, Ben and Matt say, is false.“That is a bold-face lie,” Matt said, adding, “Everything about that story is untrue.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Casey Affleck, Minnie Driver, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Cole Hauser in 1997’s ‘Good Will Hunting’.Photo 12 / Alamy"When you hear a story like that, usually you go, ‘Oh, I see what he’s saying,’ but there’s nothing about that story that’s rooted in truth,” Ben added of his brother’s earlier claim. “I don’t know where to start.“He continued: “First of all, we wrote the part for Casey. He knew it the whole time. There was no audition. Oh my God. Yeah. I don’t know why he says what he says sometimes. I think he’s just an inveterate prankster.“Ben and Matt have afriendship that dates back to their childhoodwhen they bonded over their shared love for acting and baseball. The two began acting in movies in the late 1980s and ultimately won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay forGood Will Hunting,in which they costarred.

Matt DamonandBen Afflecksay thatCasey Affleck’s claim he was forced to audition for his role in their 1997 filmGood Will Huntingis “a bold-face lie.”

In an interview withDeadline, the longtime friends and actors responded to Casey’s statement from anearlier interview, in which Casey said that the two made him audition for his role in the film, even after he put the wheels in motion to getting it made.

“I was going to school when Ben and Matt … said, ‘Hey can you please get this script to Gus Van Sant?’ " Casey, 49, toldDeadlinein July of how the duo initially got their script in front of the legendary director (with whom Casey worked on the 1995 filmTo Die For).

After Van Sant said he wanted to make the film, Casey toldDeadlinethat Ben and Matt “sort of badgered me in” to appearing in the film.

“So I went and auditioned for it. They were badgering me into doing it, and then asked me to come in and audition, which I thought was — I’ll never stop making fun of them for that,” Casey said.

Elsewhere in the interview, Casey claimed that Ben, now 52, and Matt, now 54, were “sitting behind the camera in the casting office, making me read.”

But the story, Ben and Matt say, is false.

“That is a bold-face lie,” Matt said, adding, “Everything about that story is untrue.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Casey Affleck, Minnie Driver, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Cole Hauser in 1997’s ‘Good Will Hunting’.Photo 12 / Alamy

Photo 12 / Alamy

“When you hear a story like that, usually you go, ‘Oh, I see what he’s saying,’ but there’s nothing about that story that’s rooted in truth,” Ben added of his brother’s earlier claim. “I don’t know where to start.”

He continued: “First of all, we wrote the part for Casey. He knew it the whole time. There was no audition. Oh my God. Yeah. I don’t know why he says what he says sometimes. I think he’s just an inveterate prankster.”

Ben and Matt have afriendship that dates back to their childhoodwhen they bonded over their shared love for acting and baseball. The two began acting in movies in the late 1980s and ultimately won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay forGood Will Hunting,in which they costarred.

source: people.com