8/5/2021 blog

On friendship

Just reading an article in The Washington Post about Ben Affleck and Matt Damon who appear to be best friends. Damon seems to be like one of sanest Hollywood actors now.

From the article: ”

“The delighted crowd gasped as Affleck went on roasting Damon about the upcoming “Ocean’s Twelve” (“ ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ left so many unanswered questions!”) and his own persona (“By the way, Mr. Street Cred, how’s Clooney’s yacht?”).

At the time, the segment captured the public perception of the childhood pals from Boston who shot to stardom when they won the Academy Award for original screenplay for 1997′s “Good Will Hunting.” On separate stardom trajectories, Affleck became the boisterous, attention-loving blockbuster actor known for the “Bennifer” tabloid circus of his relationship with Jennifer Lopez. Damon was the more low-key, Harvard-educated Oscar nominee who could seamlessly go from bespoke Oscar bait (“The Talented Mr. Ripley”) to action hero (the Jason Bourne movies) while staying out of the paparazzi’s lens.”

The article made me think about youthful friends in my own life. I am still on good terms with most of them, at least online in social media or on the phone sometimes. You can easily overdo nostalgia and old friends who may not want to stay in touch with you (some of mine have not).

I recently had a very difficult period trying to make new social contacts when it may have been better to have stayed in touch with old friends.