Once again, Matt Damon finds himself in the unenviable position of reportedly having to watch as his best friend Ben Affleck goes through a personal crisis and intense tabloid drama involving his love for Jennifer Lopez.
As the entertainment media continues to report on Affleck and Lopez’s marital turmoil, with predictions of an impending divorce, Damon is “desperate” to keep his longtime friend from relapsing into his addiction to alcohol, The Daily Mail reported.
“The Martian” star also wants to keep Affleck focused on his acting and directing work, so that he doesn’t lose sight of his professional goals amid the alleged upheaval that could lead to the end of his two-year marriage, the Daily Mail also said.
“Matt tried to warn Ben when he got back together with J-Lo that this could happen,” an insider told the Daily Mail. “Matt was there to help Ben get it together after their first split and he felt like this would happen again.”
US actress Jennifer Lopez and actor Ben Affleck arrive for a special screening of “Marry Me” at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) in Los Angeles, February 8, 2022. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Affleck has high regard for Damon’s opinion, and not just because they’re creative and producing partners who have been friends since their childhood in Boston, the Daily Mail reported. Affleck also sees how Damon has enjoyed a stable and loving marriage with his wife Luciana Barroso for more than 18 years.
“Matt has had a successful marriage for years, and Ben has always been in awe of this,” the source told the Daily Mail about the friends, who famously co-authored the Oscar-winning screenplay for the 1997 film, “Good Will Hunting.”
“As things started falling apart (with Lopez), Matt told Ben that he supports whatever choice he makes but he wants him to jump in and focus on his work,” the source said.
After Affleck, 51, and Lopez, 54, married in 2022, the source said, the “Argo” director tended to focus on his mega-star wife’s film and music projects. Affleck and Lopez began dating again in 2021, rekindling a high-profile love affair than ran from 2002 to 2004. When they were together in the 2000s, Affleck also tended to put his career on the back-burner, the Daily Mail source said.
For that reason, Damon has reportedly pressed Affleck in recent weeks, “What has she ever done for your career?’
One way Damon may be able to keep Affleck on track is that they continue to run their Artists Equity production company together. The two, who last worked together on the 2023 film, “Air” also are scheduled to produce and co-star in a thriller together called “RIP.”
Damon is Affleck’s “only real guy friend,” and “he would not let him get back on the bottle,” the source said.
Affleck has long struggled with alcohol addiction, which was a factor in his 2018 divorce from his first wife Jennifer Garner and which has led to several stints in rehab. But another …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
