Ben Affleck reveals Matt Damon ‘never paid a bill’ or cleaned when they were roommates

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were roommates in their younger years when they were both trying to get acting roles in Hollywood. Photo / AP

Ben Affleck says Matt Damon was a terrible roommate who didn’t wash up or pay bills.

The pair grew up together in Massachusetts and were classmates at drama school before eventually moving to Los Angeles and sharing a house - but Ben, 50, has admitted his pal wasn’t easy to live with as he often forgot to clean up after himself and “never paid a bill to this day”.

During an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Ben explained: “We were teenagers and we wanted to go up to New York to audition, we lived in Boston, we were kind of like we wanted to help each other.

Stop what you're doing and watch @BenAffleck roast Matt Damon for being a terrible roommate pic.twitter.com/XcnRHUeUZ1

— The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) April 14, 2023

“One of us would make enough money so we could keep taking the train to New York to do the next audition. Then we moved to LA. We lived in the same house and it was just easier and also Matt’s never paid a bill to this day.”

The Argo star said he had to explain to his pal that he needed to pay bills because the “utility company needs money to continue to fund our electricity.

”When asked if Matt was a good or bad housemate, Ben replied: “Matt’s a beautiful guy. I love him. He’s my best friend. He’s been great to me my whole life. He’s a brilliant guy. I would not suggest living with him, because he has an ability, have you ever known people that block things out?

“I think that’s why he’s such a great actor. He can just focus. One of the things he blocks out is the idea when you finish with something that it has to be washed or thrown away.”

Ben’s younger brother Casey also lived with them in Los Angeles and he went on to reveal the siblings “went on strike” after becoming tired of cleaning up after Matt - however, they had to give up after Matt didn’t tidy up for two whole weeks.

Ben explained: “After cleaning up after the guy for a year, you know what, we are going to go on a sit-down strike. Just going to wait and see how long he will go before he actually gets up and goes: ‘It’s covered in garbage’ and he went weeks, two weeks without touching the apartment...

”I came home one day and Matt was playing a video game in the middle of what was the living room just surrounded by concentric circles of garbage.

“I looked down at this sushi thing that is like a week and a half old and there’s maggots. We were like: ‘We submit. You are too good. We cannot beat you’.”