THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Good Will Hunting' 26 years later

• Gus Van Sant's "Good Will Hunting" first hit theaters in a limited release in December 1997.
• The film was cowritten by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, both of whom also starred. 
• Damon and Affleck are still best friends to this day, and worked together on the 2023 film "Air."

Matt Damon starred as Will Hunting, a 20-year-old genius from South Boston.

Will was an orphan who had trust issues because he was abandoned by his parents. He lived in several foster homes and was removed from three because of physical abuse.

At the start of the movie, he was a janitor who worked at MIT and lived in an impoverished neighborhood.

He had never visited anywhere outside of Boston and lacked formal higher education, but had the mathematical genius of several professors combined. 

Damon starred in and produced the film 2023 "Air."

The film, directed by Ben Affleck, chronicles Michael Jordan's legendary shoe deal with Nike. Damon portrays the real-life sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro, who was instrumental in the deal between Jordan and Nike. 

Following the release of "Good Will Hunting" and its positive critical reception, Damon landed two Academy Award nominations: one for best original screenplay (shared with his longtime friend and collaborator Ben Affleck) and another for best actor in a leading role. 

Damon has been steadily acting, producing, and writing in Hollywood since the '90s.

After "Good Will Hunting," Damon also earned Oscar nominations for his performance as a supporting actor in "Invictus" and his leading role in "The Martian."

Some of his most notable films include "Saving Private Ryan," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," "The Departed," "Ford v Ferrari," and "Interstellar." The actor is also known for portraying the titular character in the "Bourne" film franchise and playing Linus Caldwell in the "Ocean's" movies.  

Additionally, he's shown off his more comedic side through his cameos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and on sitcoms like "Will & Grace" and "30 Rock."

Damon has been married to Luciana Barroso since 2005 and the couple has three daughters named Isabella, Gia, and Stella. The actor is also a stepdad to Barroso's daughter named Alexia.

Stellan Skarsgård portrayed Professor Gerald Lambeau.

Will's level of intelligence and ability to solve challenging theorems caught the attention of Lambeau a professor at MIT and Fields Medal winner. 

After assaulting a police officer, Will was in danger of ending up in prison. But Lambeau saw potential in Will and wanted him to tap into it.

So, he got the judge to agree to release Will under the professor's supervision. As part of his probation, Will had to meet with Lambeau on a weekly basis to review advanced mathematics and see a therapist twice a week. 

Skarsgård most recently starred as Luthen Rael on season one of the "Star Wars" series "Andor."

The first season of "Andor" was released on Disney+ in 2022.

Skarsgård, who hails from Sweden, has eight kids – six of whom have also followed in his footsteps as actors. 

Skarsgård is no stranger to high-profile projects, having played characters in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise and the MCU.

He's also appeared in the "Mamma Mia!" films, the 2015 "Cinderella" reimagining, and the HBO limited series "Chernobyl." He won a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Boris Shcherbina on "Chernobyl."

Skarsgård was also unrecognizable as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, the primary villain of Denis Villeneuve's 2021 "Dune" remake. He'll reprise the role for the sequel, set for release in theaters on November 3.

Robin Williams played Sean Maguire, a psychology teacher at Bunker Hill Community College who became Will's therapist.

Gerald Lambeau and Sean were roommates in college and had a rivalry. 

After unsuccessful meetings with five different counselors, Lambeau suggested that Will meet with Sean because the two characters were both from South Boston and had similar experiences of being physically abused. 

Sean had been a counselor for 20 years, so he wasn't rattled by Will's disturbing past, his defensive demeanor, or his aversion to therapy.

Instead, he patiently worked with Will and eventually got him to truly accept that the terrible things that previously happened to him weren't his fault. 

Williams died by suicide in August 2014, at 63 years old.

The legendary comedian and actor was already well-established in Hollywood when he starred in "Good Will Hunting." Williams also played Professor Philip Brainard in the comedy "Flubber" the same year "Good Will Hunting" was released.

After winning an Oscar for best supporting actor for his performance in "Good Will Hunting," Williams appeared in various shows and movies.

This includes portraying Teddy Roosevelt in the "Night at the Museum" films, guest-starring as himself on an episode of "SpongeBob SquarePants," and voicing two penguins in the "Happy Feet" movies.  

In addition to being a two-time Emmy winner, Williams was also a five-time Grammy winner. 

Williams went to rehab in 2006 for his alcohol addiction and checked back in eight years later, in 2014, to focus on his sobriety.

He died by suicide later that year and his publicist, Mara Buxbaum, told the New York Times via a statement that Williams had "been battling severe depression."

The actor is survived by his three children named Zak Williams, Zelda Williams, and Cody Alan Williams.

Ben Affleck played Chuckie, Will's loyal best friend.

Chuckie recognized that Will had a gift and encouraged him to leave South Boston. 

Affleck reprised his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman for the standalone "Flash" movie, released on June 16.

In "Air," Affleck played Nike cofounder Phil Knight.

Affleck and Damon have costarred in a few films since "Good Will Hunting," including "Dogma" and "The Last Duel. Most recently, they costarred in "Air," in which Affleck played Nike cofounder Phil Knight. Affleck also directed and produced the movie.

He met his now ex-wife Jennifer Garner on the set of the 2001 film "Pearl Harbor" and the pair reunited in 2003 for the Marvel film "Daredevil." The actors coparent three children named Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. 

That's not the only superhero Affleck has portrayed on the big screen. He also appeared as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). 

In addition, Affleck starred in the 2014 film adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel "Gone Girl."

Affleck also successfully made the jump to directing. His film "Argo," which he also starred in, won the Academy Award for best picture in 2013. 

In 2017, amid the #MeToo movement, "One Tree Hill" star Hilarie Burton accused Affleck of groping her during an appearance on MTV's "TRL."

Affleck responded on Twitter, writing: "I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize."

He discussed the sexual misconduct allegations on "The Late Late Show With Stephen Colbert" that year and said that he wanted to "be a part of the solution."

Affleck also said that he was going to donate the residuals from his films funded by Miramax, the studio cofounded by Harvey Weinstein, to the charities RAINN and Film Independent.

Affleck and now-wife Jennifer Lopez first met through the critically panned film "Gigli." Their engagement was confirmed in November 2002 but their split was announced in January 2004 after speculation.

More than a decade later, Affleck and Lopez began dating again. Lopez confirmed their rekindled relationship in July 2021 and they wed in Las Vegas in July 2022, followed by a more formal ceremony in Georgia the following month.

Minnie Driver starred as Skylar, a student at Harvard University who went to medical school after graduating.

Skylar grew up in England and inherited money after her dad died when she was 13.

She met Will at a Harvard bar and they went on a few dates. After Skylar asked Will to accompany her to California, he broke up with her due to his abandonment issues and a fear that she'd learn something about him that she didn't like as they spent more time together.  

Skylar went to San Francisco to attend medical school and by the end of the film, Will left Boston to chase after her. 

Driver appeared on Netflix's "Witcher" prequel series "The Witcher: Blood Origin."

Driver's performance as Skylar resulted in acting nominations at the Oscars and the SAG Awards. She went on to voice Jane in Disney's 1999 animated classic 'Tarzan," cameo on "The X-Files," and star alongside Anne Hathaway in the film "Ella Enchanted."

Driver portrayed Carlotta Giudicelli in a 2004 film adaptation of "The Phantom of the Opera." She also guest-starred on "Modern Family" and "Will & Grace."

In 2021, Driver launched a podcast called "Minnie Questions With Minnie Driver," in which she interviewed notable guests like Viola Davis, Nick Jonas, Anna Faris, and Brooke Shields. 

Driver has a son named Henry Story Driver, who was born in 2008, from a previous relationship. She confirmed her engagement to filmmaker Addison O'Dea in 2019. 

Casey Affleck played Morgan, one of Will's good friends.

In real life, Casey is Ben Affleck's younger brother. 

Although they weren't related in the movie, Casey and Ben's characters had a similar brotherly dynamic. 

Affleck won an Oscar for his performance as Lee Chandler in the 2016 film "Manchester by the Sea."

"Good Will Hunting" was one of Affleck's earliest credited film roles.

Afterward, he played Tom Myers in the "American Pie" movies and portrayed Fortinbras in the 2000 film "Hamlet," a modern retelling of William Shakespeare's classic play, starring Ethan Hawke and Billy Murray.

Affleck starred as Virgil Malloy in the "Ocean's" films and earned his first Oscar nomination for his supporting role in the 2007 movie "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."

Affleck also appeared in Christopher Nolan's star-studded drama "Interstellar."

Affleck's win at the 2017 Oscars was controversial and met with criticism amid the #MeToo movement.

The actor was previously sued by two different women for sexual harassment and both lawsuits were settled in 2010. During an interview with The Associated Press in 2018, Affleck said that he regretted being "involved in a conflict that resulted in a lawsuit."

"I had never had any complaints like that made about me before in my life and it was really embarrassing and I didn't know how to handle it and I didn't agree with everything, the way I was being described, and the things that were said about me, but I wanted to try to make it right, so we made it right in the way that was asked at the time," he said.

Affleck has continued acting in the years since the controversy.

He'll reunite with Damon for Nolan's star-studded film "Oppenheimer," in theaters on July 21, and the upcoming Doug Liman movie "The Instigators."

Affleck has two sons named Indiana and Atticus, whom he shares with his ex-wife Summer Phoenix. 

Cole Hauser played Billy, another friend in Will's inner circle.

Billy, Chuckie, and Morgan pooled their resources to surprise Will with a car on his 21st birthday, ahead of his new job at Cambridge.

Instead, Will turned down the job and drove off to be with Skylar in California. 

Hauser went from a minor role in "Good Will Hunting" to starring on Paramount's hit series "Yellowstone."

Hauser already knew Damon and Affleck, having worked with them on previous projects. 

After "Good Will Hunting," Hauser appeared in various films – most notably "2 Fast 2 Furious," in which he played the villain named Carter Verona.

He also starred alongside Thandiwe Newton on the series "Rogue," which lasted for four seasons between 2013 and 2017. 

Nowadays, Hauser is recognized for his portrayal of Rip Wheeler on the Western drama series "Yellowstone," which premiered in 2018.

Hauser has been married to Cynthia Daniel since 2006 and has three kids named Ryland, Colt, and Steely.

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