The Poster Memorabilia blog

The Good Hunt that Started it All

One night in New York, two surprise Southie accents, and the poster that started a hound's career.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

I find it sad that they don't make movies like Good Will Hunting anymore. I'm not saying the films today are worse or anything like that. In fact, I find many of them very compelling and entertaining. But very few, if any, have the emotional gravitas and heart-wrenching drama as this one.

And don't get me started on that cast. Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, Casey Affleck, and Stellan Skarsgård? Unreal. Damon and Affleck were just newbies in Hollywood at the time, but they not only acted their asses off in this, but they even wrote the damn thing. Again, another thing the industry doesn't appreciate much anymore: multi-faceted movie stars.

All of this prompted me to get their autographs on my movie poster. I was never that celebrity-obsessed before, but if there are actors who will have me going above and beyond just to meet them, it's this cast. In fact, I did exactly that over the years. I went to any sort of red-carpet event you could think of, just so I could meet and get an autograph from these actors.

Unfortunately, I started this thing after Robin Williams passed away in 2014. In fact, I even started it because of the tragedy. When he died, I worried that I might lose the chance to meet my other favorite celebrities too. So I went on a crusade of sorts to get to see them in real life.

It took me a long time, but I eventually met Minnie Driver, Casey Affleck, Cole Hauser, and Stellan Skarsgård over the years and got their autographs. But the two I most want to talk about were the world-famous duo behind it all: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

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I actually met them first. I went to their live script reading of Good Will Hunting in New York City in October 2016. It was a one-night-only event staged for the nonprofit Film Independent. John Krasinski, best known for The Office, hosted and guest-directed the event.

Both actors weren't even announced to appear that night. An entirely different cast was supposed to do the live reading. But when it was about to start, Damon and Affleck suddenly came out to reprise their iconic roles. It was the loudest and longest standing ovation I was ever a part of.

They were both amazing, to say the least. They gave every bit of their talent in the reading that night, just like how they did in the movie decades earlier. I can't believe neither of them has won a competitive acting Oscar yet. I would've given them each one for their performances that night alone.

“They say God works in mysterious ways, and I finally believed it at that moment.”

Luckily, I just so happened to have brought my Good Will Hunting poster that night. So after the program, I approached both actors and asked them to sign it, beginning my new life as an autograph hound. They say God works in mysterious ways, and I finally believed it at that moment.

As I said earlier, I went on to meet the rest of this all-star cast later down the line. I couldn't have asked for a better film to start this new part of my life. It hasn't been as smooth as my first celebrity encounter, but I keep pushing on like Will Hunting himself.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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