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Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are easily two of the biggest bros in the entertainment world. They’ve got a “bizarrely close” friendship, growing up together in Boston, writing and starring in Good Will Hunting, and they’ve got a new movie The Rip,on the horizon. So yeah, they hang out a lot, both on and off the screen. Recently, Matt sported this hilariously long beard for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and Ben couldn’t help but poke fun at him, even though he still went out in public with him.
Early in the day on May 31, the longtime best friends took the stage at Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event (where our own Eric Eisenberg was in attendance) to promote their upcoming Netflix release, a crime thriller directed by Joe Carnahan. But Affleck couldn’t resist taking a swing at Damon’s current lumberjack-meets-ancient-hero look. He joked, pointing to his friend’s facial hair:
I trusted Matt would shave the beard before Tudum, and here we are.
Of course, the beard isn’t for The Rip, but rather for Christopher Nolan’s bold reimagining of Homer’s epic, where Damon stars as Odysseus. Affleck, ever the straight man in their public appearances, kept it light while reminding the world he’ll call out even his best friend’s grooming choices. The Martian front man, true to form, took the jab with a grin. Hey, he’s been ostensibly dealing with his friends roasting nearly their entire lives, so he knows how to take things in stride.
According to a report from People, later that evening, Ben Affleck was dining at a fancy steakhouse called Steak 48 with Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana. They had just finished a busy day of press and some good-natured roasting. The article mentioned that the Daredevil alum shared hugs and laughs with his pal and his wife after sharing a meal. The images definitely give off a laid-back family night out vibe—except, of course, in this “family,” one of the members happens to be a fellow movie star known for teasing you in front of a huge audience.
The Argo director has been flying solo since his high-profile divorce from Jennifer Lopez, which was finalized earlier this year. But if Saturday’s outing proved anything, it’s that he’s still tight with the Damons. He might be the only man alive who can flame your beard in front of a crowd and then get a hug from your wife a few hours later.
The Rip, which the duo co-produced through their company Artists Equity, follows a crew of Miami cops whose loyalty unravels after discovering millions in a stash house. Affleck called it a blend of Heat, Narc, and Training Day, a gritty crime story that peels back what people are willing to do for money. It’s expected to hit the streaming service, although not on the 2025 movie schedule, it will release at the start of next year on January 16, 2026.
And, based on the released images available for The Rip, we know Damon traded the beard for a goatee. Something tells me the roasting isn’t quite done, and Ben Affleck will be slinging one-liners as soon as the 2026 movie release drops.