Ben Affleck admits he’s a little jealous of Matt Damon’s impressive abs. The 54‑year‑old actor was reacting to topless pictures of Damon, taken on the set of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film The Odyssey. Affleck quipped that he doesn’t appreciate his longtime friend “upstaging” him with such a ripped physique.
Speaking to Access Hollywood at the premiere of his new movie The Accountant 2 on Thursday, April 17, 2025, Affleck said:
“I’m a little bit—yeah, I don’t like it. I feel like he’s upstaging me, but what are you gonna do? I gotta respect it. He does look pretty good; I’m kind of impressed.”
Despite the jesting, Affleck expressed genuine admiration for Damon’s commitment to getting in shape in his 50s. “I have to say, I have to give him respect. As you get on in life, it’s less and less easy to do this, as I can tell you, and he is getting it done.”
Affleck also teased that Damon was fully aware of the paparazzi’s presence and deliberately flexed for the cameras. “You see, they just told him there were photographers out there, so he’s like, ‘I’m flexing my abs—are you watching me? Take my picture!’”
Affleck and Damon have been friends since they were eight years old. In a previous interview on the Radio Times podcast, Damon reflected on the difference in their celebrity experiences, noting that tabloids largely ignored him early in his career because he led a more private, scandal‑free life. “I wasn’t an exciting story, the guy who’s married is boring! Scandal and sex, that’s what people read magazines for. I’ve been really lucky.”
In The Accountant 2, Affleck plays Christian Wolff, a socially awkward accountant who struggles with flirting and forming relationships, traits Affleck joked are not so different from his own. “He wants to have a relationship, he’s trying to figure out how to put yourself out there. You know, he’s not comfortable extending himself. He doesn’t really know how to flirt exactly. He’s not comfortable, like so many of us.”