When I hear people say it’s a small world, I certainly don’t think about it in terms of the Hollywood industry, but sometimes it even applies in the vast landscape of moviemaking. I had no idea that Ben Affleck and Michael B. Jordan have been really good friends for a decade now, but color me surprised now that the pair recently got together to discuss their lengthy relationship.
They both undoubtedly have a lot in common, between both of them being actors-turned-directors who have also been named Sexiest Man Alive in the past. I absolutely love learning this about them! Check out what Michael B. Jordan had to say about how they met:
Fruitvale Station had premiered at Sundance, and I remember you and Matt [Damon] had hit me [up] and were basically like, ‘Mike, your life is getting ready to change’... And I was like ‘Wow, this guy actually watched the film and he actually likes my work.’ From there, it was just like a big brother/little brother kind of relationship, man.
Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station: The Story Behind The Black Panther Director's First Movie
Michael B. Jordan shared this story when he and Ben Affleck sat down to interview each other for Variety’s Directors On Directors series. When Fruitvale Station premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2013 and won both top prizes, longtime celebrity best friends Affleck and Matt Damon were apparently in Park City, Utah to witness Jordan’s breakout moment. They approached the actor, who was 25 at the time, to share their love for his performance, and it set fire to a meaningful friendship for the two men.
As both Jordan and Affleck reflected on their own 2023 movie releases together, Air and Creed III, which had both of them pulling double duty by starring and directing at the same time, the Fruitvale Station actor recalled how his first interaction with Affleck meant a lot to him at the time. Michael B. Jordan shared he was “really insecure” at the time regarding opening a film, and Affleck’s words meant a lot to him. Here’s what Ben Affleck had to say about their first interaction:
It was so clear to me. I could have foreseen right all the way up. This guy’s just going up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up. And be ready, because there’s a lot of things that come along that are difficult that nobody tells you and I had a friend doing it with me that I could sort of bounce like ‘Isn’t this fucking crazy?’ and I feel like it’s a very lonely experience sometimes, and I was like, ‘Hey, man, if I can help you at all, if you want to talk to somebody who would give you honest feedback, I may not be right, [but] I always tell you the truth and I’ll do what I can.’ And, I love the relationship we have, and now I just brag about it.
As Ben Affleck noted, when he found his fame with Good Will Hunting, he had Matt Damon by his side at the time and continues to, as they reunited as Air cast mates, which Affleck called it the “best work experience” of his life. Affleck had a feeling Jordan was about to begin the next big star, and he made himself available to the young actor to support him. Affleck understands the “big adjustment” that comes with becoming a public figure, and the pair found a brotherly relationship in each other as a result of the 2013 meeting.
It’s a really sweet story, and Ben Affleck was obviously dead on when it comes to Fruitvale Station not only being Michael B. Jordan’s best movies even to this day, but leading to his catapult into megastardom.
