Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Once Almost Filmed A Kissing Scene For 'The Last Duel'
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been the best of friends since they first acted together in Good Will Hunting alongside late actor and comedian, Robin Williams. The two actors have quite a history with each other. From being childhood friends to sharing their passion for acting and even entering the acting industry around the same time, their friendship is for the books. The dynamic duo also won an Oscar award for the film they starred in together and since then, they've each reached for the stars, per People.
Besides Good Will Hunting, the actors co-wrote a film together that also transitioned into a resounding success. The Last Duel was a film set in a medieval era in France in the 1300s and focused widely on the different powers at play at the time followed by how women were treated.
The film's storyline revolved around the French knight, 'Jean de Carrouges' - a man who was involved in the last officially sanctioned duel in the history of France. This historic icon was played by Matt Damon. Whereas, Affleck portrayed French nobleman Count Pierre d'Alencon. In the film, both these close friends were caught in the crosshairs of a fight after the wife of Damon's character accused Adam Driver's character Jacques Le Gris of sexual assault.
The film saw both Damon and Affleck deliver spectacular performances with their acting skills polished with panache and a depth of raw emotions. Since its release in 2021, the film has garnered the attention of fans globally for its plot and intense storyline. While there were several iconic scenes in the film, fans were shocked after a new revelation came to light shortly after the film's release.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight on the 10th of October, 2021, Damon and Affleck revealed that they actually shared a kiss in the film. But, it was later deleted by the director of the film. In a conversation with Lauren Zima, the two actors were joined by a co-writer of the film - Nicole Holofcener as they were amid a discussion about the film.
As the conversation progressed, the duo unveiled that according to 'an actual version' of the film, there existed a scene involving Affleck kissing Damon. "In the original actual version of that scene, the way that ceremony actually took place was that you kissed everybody on the mouth," confessed Affleck. He goes on to confirm that it was even included 'in the script'
Damon then jovially chimes into the conversation and notes how that scene would've been their first on-screen kiss. "That would've been our first on-screen kiss," said Damon in good humor. To which Affleck responds, "It's going to have to wait," insinuating a new possible scene involving the two in another film.
When asked for a reason as to why the scene was cut from the film, all three writers mentioned that it was director Ridley Scott's decision. "Ridley thought it would be distracting, and his instincts are pretty good," confessed Affleck as he lightly boasted of the hit-director's skills. In agreement, Damon said, "Yeah the two characters really hate each other and that was really fun."
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