Ben Affleck is not shy about stripping down in his new movie The Rip, in which he stars alongside his longtime best friend, Matt Damon.
However, Affleck, 53, isn’t taking his shirtless scene too seriously, as he defended showing off his body “for no reason” during an interview with The Fox 101.9’s “Fifi, Fev & Nick” on Thursday, January 15.
Australian Rules football star turned radio host Brendan Fevola jokingly trolled the actor for unnecessarily shedding his clothes as he asked him, “Now, who would win in a fight? Because Ben, when you took your top off at the start of the [movie] for no reason … jeez, you’re ripped up.”
Damon, 55, erupted in a fit of laughter at the comment before Affleck clapped back in good humor.
“There was a reason! I want people to see it. I don’t go to the gym for nothing,” he joked. “I’m middle-aged. I’ll take all the … you know. It’s going away. I want it memorialized before it’s gone.”
Damon had another theory as to why his Good Will Hunting collaborator stripped off his shirt on screen, joking, “It’s called actor vanity.”
The pair also touched on the shirtless scene in an interview with Entertainment Tonight the same day, with Damon roasting his friend yet again.
“He changed his shirt for a scene in this movie and, boy, did they tweak the lighting for a long time on that bathroom — just shadows, just getting everything just perfect for him,” Damon said.
Seeing the funny side of the scene, Affleck joked it was a crucial plot point that added to his character’s development.
“I think it was important to see the character change,” he teased. “I think that’s what made the part dramatically interesting there, was that he had a shirt that was dirty and then he had to put a clean one on.”
Damon sarcastically added, “Makes total sense in the middle of the day.”
Affleck went on to explain that he didn’t take cues from Damon, who also showcased his ripped body for his upcoming film The Odyssey when it came to dieting.
Damon previously revealed he followed a gluten-free diet to get in shape for the movie, but Affleck revealed in the ET interview that he opted to go in a different direction to achieve his chiseled physique.
“To be honest, I can’t do the gluten-free thing. I feel like the one thing I can’t live without is bread — like, rolls, you know? Maybe it just makes me a caveman, but that’s really hard,” he told the outlet.
Although they enjoy taking jabs at one another in good fun, Affleck and Damon have a solid bond thanks to their four-plus decades of friendship, which began when they grew up together.
Speaking to Luxury Handbag Shopping at the premiere of The Rip on Tuesday, January 13, in New York, the best friends said they’re still continually learning things about each other.
“I keep relearning things about Matt that I already knew and I forget them,” Affleck joked to Us exclusively before speaking seriously about their friendship. “Honestly, I am continually reminded of what a good father he is and what a fabulous actor he is.”
Affleck added that it’s “fun” he and Damon get to navigate their careers together. “You’re really lucky if you can do this for a living,” he said, “and you’re exceptionally lucky if you can do it with people you love and care about.”
