Entertainment

Matt Damon says he and Ben Affleck survived as struggling actors by using a shared bank account they opened in high school

matt damon ben affleck
(L-R) Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Frazer Harrison/Getty
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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were literally helping each other get by when they began their acting careers.

The lifelong friends even opened a shared bank account when they were in high school, and used it as a way to fund each other's dreams.

"As long as one of us had money, we knew the power wasn't going to get shut off," Damon said on "The Bill Simmons Podcast" (at the 1:14:15 mark) which he did alongside Affleck to promote their new movie "Air," out April 5.

"I remember after doing 'Geronimo,' fuck, I probably had 35 grand in my checking account and I was like we're good," Damon said, referencing the 1993 movie he had a small role in. "We're good for a year."

Damon said the bank account was originally used for trips to get acting work as teens.

"We needed the money for auditions, for trips to New York," he said.

ben affleck matt damon
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in the early years of their career.  Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

"You were allowed to go to New York with the money," Damon continued. "You were allowed to take out $10 and get quarters and go to the arcade and play video games. Eventually, we were allowed to try to buy beer, which never fucking worked."

Damon said it's now weird in retrospect that they had a shared account.

"But we were going to help each other and be there for each other," Affleck added.

Though the Oscar winners are making more than enough bank now and no longer have to support each other financially, Affleck did reveal something to Damon on the podcast.

"I still have the checkbook," Affleck said of their shared account. "I wonder if it would work?"

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Jason Guerrasio
Jason Guerrasio
Jason Guerrasio is an award-winning entertainment correspondent at Business Insider and has covered various aspects of the film industry for over two decades. On the site, his reporting can range from what's going on behind the scenes at some of the biggest companies in Hollywood, colorful interviews with some of the most well-known names in entertainment, and exploring the darker side of the industry.In 2020, Jason received the New York Press Club award and Los Angeles Press Club award for his story on the rise and fall of MoviePass. It has since been made into the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary "MoviePass, MovieCrash."Previous to BI, Jason was the managing editor at Filmmaker Magazine, one of the leading publications in the independent film industry. He's also written for numerous publications over the years, including Vanity Fair, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Variety, and indieWire.Popular ArticlesMary Carole McDonnell built a true-crime empire. Then the FBI came for her. Growing up Marvel: The tormented life of Stan Lee's child, JC LeeA bullet. A legend. A lie. Bufford Pusser killed his wife, authorities say. What happens to his legacy now?