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Matt Damon has made a rare admission about his friend Ben Affleck amid the actor’s rumoured marriage struggles.
Affleck and Damon have been friends for decades after first finding success for writing and co-starring in Oscar-winning drama Good Will Hunting in 1997.
But while Damon has led a relatively quiet life, Affleck has often been in the public eye for a string of personal issues including divorce, rumours of infidelity, and addiction. The latest focus of scrutiny has been his very public reconciliation with old flame, Jennifer Lopez, which is now rumoured to be on the rocks.
The rekindled relationship and ensuing marriage was the subject of an album, movie, and accompanying documentary by Lopez. However, recent reports have suggested that the couple are once again both headed for divorce.
“Twenty-five years ago, the gossip magazine culture was huge but they ignored me,” he told Radio Times podcast, in a promotional interview for his new film The Instigators, in which he stars alongside Ben’s brother, Casey.
“I wasn’t an exciting story; the guy who’s married, it’s boring! Scandal and sex, that’s what people would read magazines for. I’ve been really lucky.
“Especially when I look at Casey’s brother, Ben. We’ve had parallel careers in a lot of ways, but I can’t imagine living under that scrutiny for 25 years,” he said.
Damon has been married to wife Luciana Barroso for 19 years, the couple share four daughters together, and have largely kept out of the limelight.
The Martian star also opened up about finding fame after dropping out of university as he shared, “I kept getting jobs while I was at school that meant I’d have to leave. Technically, I think I’m still on an extended leave of absence – so I could go back and finish my senior year.
“By the time I left, my class had graduated, my social circle had gone. A few years later, Good Will Hunting happened, and I was getting paid as a professional writer. So, I thought, why go back and get my English degree?”
Meanwhile, according to multiple reports, Lopez and Affleck are experiencing “issues” in their marriage, while some sources claim the Gone Girl star has moved out of their $60m home in Beverly Hills.
Although the couple have yet to publicly comment on the rumours, that hasn’t stopped people from speculating about a potential divorce – considering the pair weren’t photographed together for two months.
