Ben Affleck has a ‘bad ideas’ rule that inspired 'Good Will Hunting' — and every creative needs it
The one statement from his creative co-actor stuck with him for decades and shaped his career.
When you’re just starting in your career, it’s easy to get disheartened by rejection, and actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had their fair share of the latter. The longtime film partners and friends sat together to talk about the world of films, what makes for good art, and eventually a good career, at Entertainment Weekly's Around the Table interview. The duo spoke about “Good Will Hunting,” which they wrote and which bagged the Best Original Screenplay Oscar, and it pushed Damon to recall an important bit of advice he received from Affleck, then in his 20s. Turns out, this one phrase stuck in his mind and played repeatedly to help him reach where he is in his career today.
The duo has been tight-knit for decades as roommates, friends, creative partners, and even fellow actors, as TODAY reports. Affleck and Damon co-wrote “Good Will Hunting,” which was released in late 1997 and became a legendary hit for its emotive potential and in-depth storyline. Damon and Affleck also starred in the movie as Will Hunting and Chuckie Sullivan, respectively, alongside the late actor Rob Williams. As they unraveled stories about their experience back then and even today, Damon recalled a special statement his friend, Affleck, made at the time. “You said to me, and I've always repeated it — I mean, this is when we started writing together, you were 20, and I was 22 — really starkly, you were like, ‘Judge me for how good my good ideas are and not how bad my bad ideas are,’” Damon recalled.
At the time, it might have felt awkward or unexpected, but decades down the line, the actor is grateful to have been able to hold on to it. “That is the most important thing to me when you embark on a collaborative process with somebody,” Damon said in the clip. He added how everyone has bad ideas, some even horrible or totally bland, but having the space to put them out there also offers the opportunity to brainstorm, improvise, and bring together a greater idea. “Sometimes, you take the sh**ty idea, iterate on that, and it becomes a good idea. You have to feel free to express it because that’s how you get to the essence of the artist,” Damon noted. Affleck agreed and circled back to the point that everyone had bad ideas. He shared an example of director David Fincher and noted how some of his movies are quite moderate, but some are exemplary.
According to Anthony Fredericks, Professor Emeritus of Education at York College of Pennsylvania, creativity can start with a bad idea, as told to Psychology Today. He explained how putting bad ideas out there permits an individual to unleash their entire capacity and not withhold anything. It is from raw authenticity that something unique breaks through. Fredericks highlighted that creativity is "not a search for perfection, but rather the generation of all sorts of possibilities without pre-judgment or preconceived notions about their quality."
Something a 20-year-old said as a friend echoed the right way to become an inspiration, and it helped him build a successful career as an actor, producer, and screenwriter. He even bagged Oscars, a SAG, and a Golden Globe award, among others, for his notable work. People are glad to have been reminded of this remark. Autumn McClain said, “These two men are good friends, and they understand each other and respect each other. The rest is just life. True friends.” Samantha Cook-Bateman shared, “Beautiful advice I will take, remember, and implement.” Garth Van Der Horst added, “That is powerful. Organizations that operate on this principle create amazing value and continuity in innovation.”
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