Nowadays, Hollywood elite teamsters Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are occasionally seen together or separately onscreen but are making waves behind the scenes as screenwriters, producers, and directors.
But there was a time when they were more of the Golden Boys of the industry and captivated the hearts of moviegoers with their swoon-worthy charm and rakish good looks.
Some might even dare say that Damon and Affleck, who have frequently been spotted joined at the hip on the red carpet and at film festivals around the world, might have been more than a bromance.
After all, the two have shared a bank account before when they were living together as aspiring upstarts.
At least their more-than-just-friends image was something that had been fantasized about in spite of their publicized dalliances with and respective marriages to women.
But the notion that the two might have been, at one point in time, romantically linked was tossed around after vintage photos of them as teens resurfaced.
The Best of Ben Affleck fan account posted a juxtaposed image of Damon at 16 and Affleck at 15 presumably inside a photo booth hamming it up for their close-up while wearing matching puka shell necklaces.
Because that was a thing in the '80s.
The gays of X (formerly Twitter) formed their own narrative befitting the male besties.
Eat your heart out, Heartstopper.
Damon and Affleck burst onto the industry scene in 1997 after winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for writing Good Will Hunting–which they both starred in with the late Robin Williams.
They both became further established as bankable actors by going on to star in leading roles in a plethora of films spanning different genres including drama, action, and comedy.
Their eventual work both on and off-camera has led to earning further Hollywood cred with numerous respective accolades and award recognitions.
They also established two production companies together, Artists Equity and Pearl Street Films—a TV and film production company at Warner Bros. Studios.
Those who wear puka shells together, stay together.
