Ben Affleck defends his shirtless scene in The Rip with Matt Damon

Ben Affleck isn’t shy about stripping down in a new movie The Ripin which he plays the leading role together with his old best friend, Matt Damon.

The actor, 53, isn’t taking his shirtless scene too seriously, though, as he defended showing off his body in the film “for no reason” during an interview with “Fifi, Fev & Nick” from The Fox 101.9 on Thursday, January 15.

Australian Rules football star turned radio presenter, Brendan Fevola44, jokingly accused the actor of taking off clothes unnecessarily when he asked, “Who would win in a fight? Because Ben, when you took off your top for no reason at the beginning of the show… Gee, you’re torn.”

Damon, 55, burst out laughing at the comment before Affleck good-humouredly clapped back.

“There was a reason! I want people to see it. I don’t go to the gym for nothing,” he joked. “I’m middle-aged, I take all the… you know. It’s going away. I want it to be remembered before it’s gone.”

Damon had another theory as to why he did that Goodwill hunting The employee came on screen nearly naked and joked, “It’s called actor vanity.”

The pair also touched on the shirtless scene in a interview with Entertainment tonight the same day Damon roasted his friend again.

“He changed his shirt for a scene in this movie and boy, did they adjust the lighting in that bathroom for a long time, just shadows, to get everything just perfect for him,” Damon said.

Seeing the funny side of the scene, Affleck joked that it was a crucial plot point that contributed to his character’s development.

“I think it was important to see the character change,” he teased. “I think that’s what made the dramatically interesting part of him having a dirty shirt and then having to put on a clean shirt.”

Damon added sarcastically, “It makes perfect sense in the middle of the day.”

Affleck went on to explain that he didn’t take any cues from Damon, who also showed off his ripped body for his 2026 film. The Odysseywhen it came to diets.

Damon previously revealed that he was on a gluten-free diet to get in shape for the film, but Affleck revealed in the film AND interview that he chose to take a different direction to achieve his chiseled physique.

“To be honest, I can’t do the gluten-free thing. I feel like the one thing I can’t live without is bread, like buns, you know? Maybe it just makes me a caveman, but that’s really hard,” he told the outlet.

Although they enjoy taking jabs at each other in a fun way, Affleck and Damon have a strong bond over their decades-long friendship, which started when they were growing up together.

Speak with We weekly at the premiere of The Rip on Tuesday, January 13, the best friends in New York said they are still constantly learning things about each other.

“I keep learning things about Matt that I already knew, but I forget,” Affleck joked Us exclusively before they seriously talked about their friendship. “Honestly, I’m constantly reminded of what a good father he is and what a fantastic actor he is.”

Affleck added that it’s “nice” that he and Damon can navigate their careers together. “You’re really lucky if you can do this for a living,” he said, “and you’re exceptionally lucky if you can do it with people you love and care about.”