Ben Affleck reveals he twice promised and forgot to thank Kevin Smith during his Oscar acceptance speeches. Ben Affleck and Kevin Smith first met while working on 1995's Mallrats. Both were still establishing themselves in the business when Smith hired Affleck to portray the antagonistic Shannon, with the two striking up a friendship. Since Mallrats, the two have worked together several more times, including six films directed by Smith, like Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
During their 1990s collaborations, Affleck and Matt Damon were trying to get the script for Good Will Hunting produced, which they co-wrote together. They shared the script with Kevin Smith, who showed it to Harvey Weinstein, which saw the film finally get made. Smith also landed a co-executive producer credit on Good Will Hunting for his effort, while Affleck and Damon ended up with the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Affleck promised to thank Smith in his acceptance speech, but he forgot, which is a sin he would ultimately repeat.
In a recent interview for EW, Affleck sat down with Damon who mentioned that Good Will Hunting was "dead in the water" until Smith saved it. Affleck then promptly replied by saying he promised Smith if they ever won an Oscar, he would thank him in his acceptance speech, which he forgot to do when the time came. As an apology, Affleck again promised that he would thank Smith if he ever won again, which he did for 2012's Argo, where it slipped his mind a second time. Check out Damon and Affleck's comments below:
Damon: Kevin also saved Good Will Hunting. This is not a small side note. He is the reason Good Will Hunting got made. We were dead in the water, all the offers had evaporated.
Affleck: I promised him I would thank him if we ever got an Oscar and promptly forgot. And then I told him, 'If I ever win again I swear to God I'm going to thank you.' Forgot again.
Affleck's second win came when Argo, a film he produced, directed, and starred in, was awarded Best Picture. Even though Smith wasn't directly involved with Argo, Affleck understands the importance of what Smith did for him and Damon all those years ago. Many Academy Award winners will it that making the acceptance speech is a frantic exercise in trying to all who helped get you there, which makes Affleck's flubs understandable. Nevertheless, Affleck still regularly popped up in Smith's work until the two grew distant. Affleck made a small appearance in Smith's 2006 film, Clerks II, which would be the last time they collaborated until 2019.
Following a highly publicized heart attack, Smith set out to make Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, assembling numerous friends and collaborators from over the years. Smith reached out to Affleck, who agreed to do the movie, reuniting the old friends and arguably giving Jay and Silent Bob Reboot one of its best scenes. Smith and Affleck have maintained their friendship since, with a likelihood the two could work together in the future. Hopefully, if Affleck ever gets a third Oscar, he'll finally to give Smith his long-awaited thank you during the acceptance speech.
Source: EW
