Matt Damon has revealed that he and Ben Affleck found themselves financially depleted shortly after the success of their Oscar-winning film, "Good Will Hunting." Speaking on the New Heights podcast, Damon explained that the $600,000 sale of their screenplay, while seemingly substantial, left them with little after taxes, agent fees, and legal costs.
"So, we sold the screenplay for $600,000 which was just... so much more money than either of us had ever considered," Damon told hosts Travis and Jason Kelce. He elaborated that after the earnings were split and expenses were deducted, each actor was left with under $150,000. "After taxes and agents and lawyer and all that stuff..." Damon recalled.
The immediate purchases that followed the sale included new Jeep Grand Cherokees. "And we were renting this place in L.A. and you know, it didn't take long for us to be like, 'Dude, we gotta get another job,'" Damon stated, noting that they believed "Good Will Hunting" would be their last major opportunity.
He further elaborated in a resurfaced clip from an interview on Complex's GOAT Talk show that a failed attempt to secure a role in the film "Primal Fear" served as a significant catalyst for writing "Good Will Hunting." "Edward Norton beat out everybody, and as he should have, he was phenomenal in the movie," Damon said of Norton's performance. "And [Ben and I] looked at each other, and we were like, there's never gonna be a role that good that comes down into the category of unknown actor... So we really buckled down and wrote Good Will Hunting a little more desperately."
"Good Will Hunting," released in 1997, saw Damon and Affleck not only pen the screenplay but also star in the drama directed by Gus Van Sant. The film tells the story of a janitor with a genius IQ and the therapist who helps him. The movie was a critical and commercial success, grossing approximately $225 million worldwide against a budget of $10-$16 million. It garnered nine Academy Award nominations, securing wins for Best Supporting Actor for Robin Williams and Best Screenplay for Damon and Affleck.
Damon and Affleck have maintained a long-standing friendship and collaborated on subsequent projects, including "The Last Duel" (2021), "Air" (2023), and "The Rip" (2026). They also established their production company, Artists Equity, in 2022.
In recent professional endeavors, Damon stars in Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," which premiered in theaters on July 17. The film has achieved significant box office success, earning approximately $911 million globally within its first three weekends. Damon recently attended the film's premiere in Seoul, South Korea, accompanied by his wife, Luciana, and their daughters Gia and Stella. The couple, married in 2005, also have daughters Isabella and Alexia, with Alexia being Luciana's daughter from a previous relationship.