Matt Damon Reveals Wife Luciana Thought Ben Affleck Was the “Cute” Star of Good Will Hunting

Matt Damon revealed a funny story about his wife Luciana Barroso and her first impressions of him and his best friend Ben Affleck. The actor shared the tale during the January 12 episode of The Howard Stern Show.

“This is f******* completely true,” Damon, 55, said. He explained that after he and Luciana had been dating for a few months, she admitted something surprising. “I met her best friend from high school, and it came out that the two of them went and saw Good Will Hunting together. Her best friend thought I was the cute one, and she thought Ben was the cute one.”

Damon laughed at the memory. “So she admitted to me… I’m like, ‘You got the wrong one?!’ She told me that 23 years ago.”

Howard Stern asked if hearing that had stuck with him over the years. Damon and Affleck joked about it together. Affleck 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.” Damon added, “Finally she met him and all that went away.”

Stern joked that it would have been “devastating” if Luciana had left Damon for Affleck. Damon agreed wholeheartedly: “If my two favorite people just exited my life? Yeah, that would suck.”

Damon and Affleck, of course, are longtime collaborators. They wrote and starred in 1997’s Good Will Hunting, which earned them Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, while Robin Williams won Best Supporting Actor.

Damon met Luciana six years later in Miami while filming Stuck on You. The couple married in 2005 and share four daughters: Alexia, 25, Isabella, 19, Gia, 17, and Stella, 15. Damon also has a stepdaughter from Luciana’s previous marriage.

Affleck, who was married to Jennifer Garner from 2005 to 2018 and later reunited with Jennifer Lopez, said he has enjoyed witnessing Damon and Luciana’s marriage. “It’s a really gorgeous marriage and friendship and two people who, when they’re apart and independent of one another, are one another’s partner,” Affleck said.

Damon also shared a memory of meeting Luciana. He forgot who he was with during their introduction because he was so focused on her. “I couldn’t remember who I was with ’cause all I remembered was her,” he said, prompting Affleck to joke that it was a “good husband” comment.

The story, recounted to Stern, offers a humorous glimpse into the early days of Damon’s relationship and highlights the playful bond between him, his wife, and his longtime friend Ben Affleck.

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