Ben Affleck Says Kevin Costner Was Just “Being Kind” About Remembering Him and Matt Damon as ‘Field of Dreams’ Extras: “We Weren’t Memorable”

Ben Affleck Jokes Kevin Costner Was Just Being Polite Remembering Him and Matt Damon as ‘Field of Dreams’ Extras

Ben Affleck recently reflected on one of his earliest roles — working as an extra on Field of Dreams alongside longtime friend Matt Damon — and admitted he’s surprised Kevin Costner even remembers them.

“Kevin is being kind saying he remembers us, because we were not memorable,” Affleck said with a laugh. “It’s sweet of him to say that, but I’m pretty sure he remembers the actors with lines.”

Affleck and Damon began their careers as background actors, and Field of Dreams marked one of their first experiences on a major film set. The 1989 sports drama starred Costner, who, in an interview last year, told Jimmy Kimmel he remembered the duo fondly, praising their “big enthusiasm” on set. “They were on fire. I do remember them, absolutely,” Costner said at the time.

Although Affleck appreciated the kind words, he joked that Costner’s memory might be a little generous — and shared a funny story about Damon “borrowing” some of Costner’s glory during batting practice.

“I remember we thought actors were kind of fraudulent,” Affleck said. “Costner took batting practice, and we were ready for him to not really be able to hit. But he was amazing — he banged a bunch of balls off the Green Monster and even hit one out of the park. It was so impressive.”

Years later, Affleck noticed Damon recalling a similar story — but with a twist.

“Then I see him in this interview saying, ‘Yeah, I took batting practice at Fenway Park and hit the ball off the Green Monster.’ I was like, ‘Matt, are you remembering yourself as Kevin Costner?’” Affleck joked.

The Good Will Hunting star also shared how awe-struck he was at the time, being on set with legends like Costner and James Earl Jones. “It felt like seeing God,” he said.

Affleck added that he and Damon also worked as extras on 1988’s Lemon Sky, the film where Kevin Bacon met his future wife, Kyra Sedgwick. “Believe it or not,” he said.

Looking back on his career, Affleck also shared a more recent and humbling moment — his kids’ reaction to watching Armageddon during the pandemic.

“During COVID, all the kids were home, and I thought, ‘Hey, let’s watch a movie,’” he recalled. “So I put on Armageddon, thinking maybe they’d like it. Almost immediately it was like, ‘What? This is so stupid, are you kidding me?’ My son said, ‘This just doesn’t make sense.’”