But forgot to thank him when they won the Oscar for it.
(Affleck played his decidedly more ordinary best friend; Minnie Driver and Stellan Skarsgard also costarred).
The film was a box office success, garnering nine Oscar nominations and winning two including Best Screenplay.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in ‘Good Will Hunting’.Everett Collection
“We were dead in the water.
And we would’ve lost it.
“And the whole thing was we wanted to be actors.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.Mirek Towski/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
And he got it to [executive producer] Jon Gordon and got people to believe in it.”
Despite his instrumental role in getting the movie made, Smith might still be waiting for a public acknowledgment.
So I owe him very much, and he did that.
And I stayed on the whole time.'”
“And at the time.
he was the biggest star in the world.
He was leveraging an awful lot.
[But] he never seemed condescending or worried or impatient.
He just came into it with this collaborative spirit, embraced it.
And it was more him going, ‘How was it?
What do you think?
I think we should do it again tomorrow.’
“‘And they were all great!
We don’t need to re-shoot it tomorrow.’
And God, he was a wonderful guy and funny.
And all everybody in Boston would say was, ‘Nanu, nanu.
Mork from Ork.”
What do you think, boss?'”
You want me to tell you?
You’re Robin Williams.
Why are you asking me for?"
Affleck said, laughing.
“I’m watchingyou!'”
Additional reporting by Leah Greenblatt.
