Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon hospital eye injury [Image Source: YIMG]
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, famously close friends with long careers in Hollywood, experienced a severe incident years before their rise to fame. During the filming of the 1992 movie School Ties, a seemingly playful moment between cast members unexpectedly turned dangerous, leading to a hospital visit for Damon. This story highlights a rare, intense moment in their early years and is now remembered as a pivotal event involving the Matt Damon hospital eye injury.
What Led to the Unexpected Eye Injury on Set
The incident occurred while the young cast, including Brendan Fraser, Cole Hauser, Chris O’Donnell, alongside Damon and Affleck, were spending downtime during filming. To pass time, the group began throwing acorns at each other. Damon recalled,
“We were 19, 20 years old, and there were a bunch of us.”
Matt Damon’s words reflect the youthful nature of the activity that quickly escalated beyond harmless fun.
During one of these playful exchanges, Affleck tossed an acorn towards Hauser, who successfully dodged it, but the projectile struck Damon directly in the eye. He later described the sudden impact:
“I didn’t have time to blink,”
a statement revealing how swiftly and unexpectedly the injury occurred. The severity of the injury necessitated immediate medical attention, resulting in a trip to the hospital to assess the damage to Damon’s eye.
Aftermath and Reactions on Set
While Damon faced concerns about long-term damage and his eyesight, Affleck was dealing with a different kind of anxiety. At the time, Affleck had only a minor role in School Ties, with very few lines. He feared that the accident might end his budding career before it had truly started. Affleck admitted,
Image of: Matt Damon
“Mind you, I had like three lines in the movie. And while I cared about Matt having vision, my first thought was, I gotta be fired for this.”
His reaction highlights the pressure young actors feel when their careers are in delicate stages.
Due to the injury, Damon wore an eyepatch for several days while shooting continued, a condition that brought an unusual camaraderie on set. Interestingly, the movie’s first assistant director, Newt Arnold, also wore an eyepatch during the same period. Damon later found humor in the coincidence, sharing that they even took pictures together while both were sporting eyepatches, underscoring a rare moment of levity amid a stressful situation.
The Incident’s Impact on Damon and Affleck’s Early Careers
This unexpected injury during a formative period of their careers not only tested Damon’s resilience but also added tension to their working relationship. The Matt Damon hospital eye injury serves as a reminder of how quickly things can take a turn in the unpredictable world of filmmaking. The incident, recalled during a recent TV appearance, still resonates as one of the most intense moments the pair experienced early on.
Looking forward, both actors have built long-standing careers marked by successes including multiple Oscar wins and blockbuster films. Yet, this early accident remains a defining story, illustrating the fragility and challenges faced behind the scenes. The friendship between Damon and Affleck survived this dramatic episode, growing stronger as they moved beyond the hurdles of their youth.
