Matt Damon has revealed that his wife Luciana thought Ben Affleck was ‘the cute one’ in Good Will Hunting.
The actor, 55, and producer Luciana, 49, met in a bar in Miami in 2003 before going on to tie the knot three years later.
However, months into their relationship, he was introduced to her best friend where he learned that Luciana’s pal eyed him, while his spouse was attracted to actor Ben, 53.
Appearing on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show on Monday with Ben, Matt recalled: ‘This is f****** completely true.
‘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.
‘So she admitted to me… I’m like, ‘You got the wrong one?’ She told me that 23 years ago.’
Matt Damon has revealed that his wife Luciana thought Ben Affleck was ‘the cute one’ in Good Will Hunting (Matt and Luciana pictured in 2023)
Matt and Ben were the writers and stars of the 1997 hit movie, a film that earned them Oscars for best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Robin Williams
When asked if hearing something like that ‘stays with you’ over the years, Matt pointed out the trio now work together often as his wife is a producer on The Rip and Ben’s next directorial project, Animals.
He said: ‘She’s a great producer and a really good friend, and yeah, I never got that vibe from her. So I think something I did in real life rubbed it off.’
‘Finally she met him and all that went away,’ he added.
Matt and Ben were the writers and stars of the 1997 hit movie, a film that earned them Oscars for best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Robin Williams.
The actor and Luciana met Barroso six years later in Miami while filming his movie Stuck on You.
The pair share four daughters: Alexia, 25, Isabella, 19, Gia, 17, and Stella, 15.
Elsewhere during the conversation, Howard asking Matt whether he was able to step in and offer support to Ben amid his highly publicised personal struggles, including two divorces and battle with addiction.
‘Oh, yeah, our relationship isn’t affected by what people are saying,’ Matt replied. ‘I was there for all of it.’
Appearing on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show on Monday with Ben, Matt recalled: ‘This is f****** completely true
He said: ‘After we’d been together for a little while (him and Luciana), 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.
Ben responded emotionally to the comment, telling his friend, ‘That means a lot to me. That’s sort of what a real friend is.’
Ben separated from Jennifer Garner in 2015 and later announced he had completed treatment for alcohol addiction, around the same time.
In 2018, he released a public statement after completing a 40-day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction.
‘Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle. Because of that, one is never really in or out of treatment. It is a full-time commitment. I am fighting for myself and my family,’ he said. ‘With acceptance and humility, I continue to avail myself with the help of so many people and I am grateful to all those who are there for me. I hope down the road I can offer an example to others who are struggling.’
Four years later, he went on to marry Jennifer Lopez, but the pair filed for divorce after just two years.
The former couple wed without a prenuptial agreement – with their cumulative wealth sitting at $550million.
The actor-director and singer-actress eloped at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022 – 18 years after breaking off their first engagement in 2004.
The couple again exchanged vows at Ben’s estate outside of Savannah, Georgia on August 20 that year.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have spent nearly three decades navigating fame, friendship and Hollywood side by side; seen in January 2026
Ben married Jennifer Lopez divorced in 2025 after two years of marriage; seen in 2023
J-Lo filed the divorce documents on the two-year anniversary of their Georgia nuptials, but listed their separation date as April 26, 2024.
They had first rekindled their romance in early 2021, just weeks after J-Lo broke off her engagement to Alex Rodriguez.
During Matt and Ben’s latest interview, the Oscar-winning duo also reflected on the unusual way they rose to fame together in their mid-twenties.
‘Your evolution gets kind of stunted at the moment you become famous because the world treats you differently,’ Matt explained. ‘I think we were lucky in that we were 25 and 27, so we had a handful of years under our belt where we would walk into a room and not turn any heads.’
The two finished the thought in unison, bluntly adding, ‘And nobody gave a s**t.’
