Matt Damon Opens Up About Hospital Visit After Fight with Ben Affleck

If there is one bromance in Hollywood that has stood the test of time, it’s the lovable, relatable, and Oscar-winning union of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. From writing “Good Will Hunting” in a basement to roasting each other relentlessly in the press, these two have been inseparable for decades. But even the best of friends have their rough patches. During a recent talk show appearance, the duo revealed the details of their “biggest fight” ever. It’s exactly the kind of stupid, preventable disaster you’d expect from two bored 19-year-olds with way too much time on their hands. And acorns.

The Chaos on the Set of “School Ties”

Let’s rewind to 1992. The film was “School Ties,” a drama about anti-Semitism in a 1950s prep school. The cast was absolutely stacked with future heavy hitters who were, at the time, just baby-faced actors trying to make it. We’re talking Brendan Fraser (from “The Whale”), Chris O’Donnell, Cole Hauser, and, of course, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

According to Damon, the “fight” wasn’t born out of animosity, but sheer boredom. They were young – barely out of their teens – and stuck on set between takes. As Damon explained on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “We were 19, 20 years old… and in between takes we were just bored.”

So, what do bored young men do when surrounded by nature? They start throwing things. Specifically, they started whipping acorns at each other at a very high velocity. As Affleck dryly noted during the interview, “When you’re 19, that seems like a good idea.” (Nope. It was definitely not a good idea.)

How An Acorn Sent Matt Damon To The Hospital

The acorn war escalated quickly. As Damon recalls, Affleck wound up to pelt an acorn at Hauser (who we all now know and fear as Rip Wheeler from “Yellowstone,” so a kinda risky move, Ben). Hauser, possessing actual survival instincts, dodged the projectile.

Unfortunately for Damon, he was standing right behind Hauser. Per Entertainment Weekly, Damon, still a little traumatized, told Fallon’s audience: 

“It literally hit me in the eye. It’s the only time in my life I didn’t have time to blink.”

The impact was severe enough that it wasn’t something they could just walk off. The acorn did serious damage, sending Damon straight to the hospital. He ended up having to wear an eye patch for several days while his cornea healed. It’s hard to imagine the Jason Bourne actor being taken down by a tree nut, but apparently, 1992 was a humbler time for everyone involved. Definitely. 

Ben Affleck Was More Worried About His Job Than His Friend

Oh boy – here’s where the story gets peak Affleck. While his best friend was being rushed off for medical attention because of a projectile he threw, Affleck’s internal monologue wasn’t exactly filled with altruistic concern. It was filled with career panic.

Affleck admitted to Fallon that while he did care about whether Damon would ever see again, his primary concern was his employment status. “Mind you, I had like three lines in the movie,” Affleck joked. “My first thought was, ‘I gotta be fired for this.'” Not very nice. 

It’s kinda a fair fear. Imagine being a glorified extra with three lines of dialogue and accidentally blinding one of the lead actors. That is generally frowned upon by union regulations.

The Irony of Matt Damon’s Eye Patch

Thankfully, Affleck kept his job on “School Ties,” and Damon kept his vision (mostly). But the universe has a funny sense of humor. Damon revealed that when he returned to set sporting his medical eye patch, he wasn’t the only one looking like a pirate.

The film’s First Assistant Director, Newt Arnold, also happened to wear an eye patch. Damon ended up bonding with the AD, and they even took photos together, turning a potential career-ending injury into a bizarre on-set bonding moment.

So, now you know. The “biggest fight” between Hollywood’s favorite duo wasn’t a screaming match or a legal battle. It didn’t involve a dramatic clash over a script or a girl. It was Affleck accidentally sniping Damon with an acorn. Yep. If that doesn’t perfectly summarize their friendship, then nothing does.