Ben Affleck, Matt Damon team up again for Air

While Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were writing “ Last Duel,” ir first screenplay toger since ir 1997 breakthrough, “Good Will Hunting,” y ticed that something in ir winding and usually separate careers had been missing.

“I remember my wife said to me one day: ‘I haven’t heard you laugh like that in 15 years,’” says Damon. “We came out of that experience going: Why aren’t we doing this more often? And getting into your 50s you just go: If we don’t make it a priority, it’s just t going to happen.”

w, more than 25 years after y set out to make it in Hollywood — so entwined that y once shared a bank account — Affleck and Damon are once again a team. Affleck directs and Damon stars in “Air,” new film about Nike’s courting of Michael Jordan that opens in aters Wednesday.

That film, an Amazon Studios original being released atrically by MGM, is only part of ir new collaboration. It’s first release from ir new production company, Artists Equity. Affleck is chief executive, Damon is head of content. Part of its mission is to give prominent crew and cast members a piece of profits.

To Affleck, “Air” — in which n-upstart Nike pursues a sneaker deal with Jordan while his mor (played by Viola Davis) advocates for his worth — represents what y hope to do with ir new company.

“We believe re are a lot of really meaningful artists on crew who are underappreciated and undervalued and make a huge difference in quality of experience in a film,” Affleck said in an interview alongside Damon. “We want to sort of take approach taken towards Michael Jordan, which is to recognize artists and say: You’re ones who deserve to be compensated for this. You’re generating art, beauty, majesty.”

And with “Air,” y may have already generated a hit. film, which co-stars Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina and Julius Tenn, has drawn rave reviews since its premiere at SXSW. Amazon was so pleased with it that streamer decided to give it a nationwide release in aters.

All of which accounts for some of reasons why Affleck — despite “Sad Ben Affleck” memes and viral videos of him looking morose at Grammys — is genuinely happy. re have certainly been ups and downs; Affleck has previously been candid about past battles with alcoholism. But Affleck w finds himself, as he says, “famously unhappy” despite feeling opposite.

Those memes? Affleck blames m on out-of-context moments and result of always having a dozen cameras pointed at him.

“ photograph in isolation looks like: Look at this unhappy fellow,” Affleck says. “But actually, I’m pretty happy. I have a good life. I’m very lucky. Despite memes. Maybe my resting face leaves something to be desired.”

“You have resting b---- face,” chimes Damon, laughing.

But after a tumultuous run as Batman and ar turbulent run in tabloids, Affleck is back to making kinds of movies that won him best picture a decade ago, with “Argo.”

Los Angeles-based Artists Equity is a kind of bookend to duo’s fabled beginning. y launched it to help set course for ir next chapter (Damon is 52, Affleck 50) and make spending time toger more of a requisite. It also allows Affleck to be regularly with his kids from his previous marri to Jennifer Garner. Last year, he wed Jennifer Lopez.

One person y’ve convinced in ir new endeavor is Viola Davis. Though Jordan’s mor was originally a very small role, NBA legend stressed her importance to story when meeting with Affleck. Jordan said Davis was only actor for part.

Davis recognized what Affleck and Damon were trying to foster. She has her own progressive production company, Juvee Productions, that she runs with her husband, Tenn. (It was behind last year’s “ Woman King.”) Davis calls working on “Air” one of best experiences of her career.

“What y’re doing is bringing filmmaking back to artists, which is where it should be,” says Davis. “re are so many obstacles in your path as an artist and biggest obstacle in your path is business itself. It sometimes looms in front of you.”

“What y’re doing is what our fantasy is as actors, especially once we’ve reached a certain level,” adds Davis. “We want automy and ncy.”

Upcoming films for Artists Equity include “ Instigators,” a heist film starring Damon and Casey Affleck, and “Unstoppable,” with Lopez and Jharrel Jerome. Though Lopez’s range has been on display in recent films like “Hustlers,” Hollywood has often seemed unsure of how to utilize her talent.

“I agree with that observation,” says Affleck. “By having a set of expectations thrust upon her, it was inherently limiting. You saw with ‘Hustlers’ she was really able to show what she can do.”

In “Unstoppable,” Affleck says, she plays a part t unlike Davis’ in “Air,” as mor of a college wrestling champion born with one leg.

“I think she’s in her prime,” says Affleck. “She’s doing extraordinary work in large measure because she’s taking that step to take responsibility for what she’s doing rar than say, ‘This is what I’m being offered.’”

tion of personal branding is at center of “Air.” Nike at time was a distant third to Converse and Adidas, but its executives hit on a concept that would pres much of what’s since followed in marketing: shoe wouldn’t just worn by Jordan but epitomize him. w, Affleck tes, people take for granted that y’re brands.

“I’ve always found that idea confusing and kind of anama. People are very complicated and contrary and nuanced, and brands are simple,” says Affleck. “So idea that a person can be a brand is a hard thing for me to reconcile. I’ve never been good at it or had interest in it. Obviously, Michael’s brand — excellence, greatness, majesty — if you’re going to have a brand, that’s one to have.”

But Damon-Affleck brand — if that is a thing — is doing alright. re have been plenty of hiccups along way for both stars. But tion of m as a creative duo and two of Hollywood’s fastest friends has endured. Who hasn’t dreamed of making it in movies with ir best pal? re’s affection for m because y have affection for one ar.

“Air” did present one new twist in ir persisting partnership, though: For first time, Affleck was directing Damon. It recently dawned on Affleck that whole ter of project was due partly to Damon’s support of him as director.

“It was a very gracious and kind gesture that’s characteristic of how Matt’s treated me, and this friendship, his whole life,” says Affleck. “It’s like why you have good friends. When things like this happen, you almost don’t even tice that y’ve made right choice and been gracious. It’s a testament to why we are still friends. I kw it’s t me.”

Damon, t missing a beat, smiles. “I only undermined you behind your back.” ___

This story has been corrected to show that film is an Amazon Studios release, t an Apple TV+ original.