What The Cast Of Good Will Hunting Is Doing Today

"Good Will Hunting" was the movie that put longtime friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck on the map. Released back in 1997, it tells the story of a troubled MIT janitor who also turns out to be a math genius. The movie wouldn't be an instant hit, earning just a little over $10 million during its opening weekend. Eventually, however, "Good Will Hunting" would gross over $200 million at the box office. It also led to Affleck and Damon's first Oscars appearance and win.

Over two decades later, "Good Will Hunting" has become a classic. As for the cast, they have since gone on to do different things in Hollywood with Damon and Affleck becoming two of the biggest stars in the industry. There are also cast members who ventured into careers outside of acting. Meanwhile, some of them are, sadly, no longer around. Yet, their memories live on in this film and beyond.

Aside from being Matt Damon's writing partner for the film, Ben Affleck also plays his best friend Chuckie Sullivan onscreen. In the movie, Chuckie is often seen hanging out with Will Hunting, picking him up in his car every day before grabbing drinks together and/or getting into fights. They also worked in construction together on some days. Later on, Chuckie famously calls out Will for not pursuing his dreams and utilizing his genius. While Damon later revealed to Film Scouts that Chuckie was nearly killed off in the movie (as was Will, it turns out), his final scene, instead, had him showing up at Will's door, only to realize that his best friend (finally) wasn't around.

Following the film's success, Affleck's Hollywood career has been full of ups and downs. While Damon worked with Steven Spielberg, Affleck worked with Michael Bay twice, first on "Armageddon" and then on the war epic "Pearl Harbor," which drew mixed reviews. Not long after, he also starred in Martin Brest's "Gigli" where Ben Affleck met his wife Jennifer Lopez. Unfortunately, it was a major box office flop. Fortunately, the actor would catch another break some years later with "Argo," which he directed and starred in. The movie would also earn Affleck his second Oscar. Affleck also gained critical acclaim for his performance in "Gone Girl" and "The Town," which he also directed. More recently, Affleck directed and starred in the sports drama "Air" with Damon.

By the time Stellan Skarsgård signed on to do "Good Will Hunting," he had been around the block starring in critical hits such as Philip Kaufman's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and Lars von Trier's "Breaking the Waves." Not to mention, his acting career also goes as far back as the '60s. And so, it may have been a little surprising as to why Skarsgård agreed to star in a film written by newcomers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. During an interview with Bomb Magazine, the actor remarked how impressed he was by both men. He also added, "They're open to everything."

In the movie, Skarsgård plays Professor Gerald Lambeau, the MIT professor who discovers Will Hunting's mathematical genius by chance. He also steps in to keep the young prodigy out of jail, taking him under his wing and forcing him to see a psychologist. Professor Lambeau is also responsible for introducing Will to Robin Williams' Sean Maguire. Later on, the men come to blows over how to manage the young man, although they make amends in the end.

After "Good Will Hunting," Skarsgård joined the cast of Spielberg's Oscar-nominated film, "Amistad." He later went on to play one of Meryl Streep's ex-lovers in Universal's "Mamma Mia!" movies. The actor would also play a professor once again, this time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as astrophysicist Erik Selvig. In 2021, Skarsgård also starred in Denis Villeneuve's Oscar-winning action-adventure, "Dune."

Around the time that Miramax bought "Good Will Hunting," the now-disgraced Harvey Weinstein was running the show but wasn't convinced that Minnie Driver was the right actress to play Will Hunting's love interest, Skylar. During an interview with The Telegraph, she recalled, "I wasn't sexy enough, I wasn't cute enough and I wasn't Gwyneth Paltrow enough." Eventually, Weinstein allowed Driver's casting, and audiences would praise her onscreen chemistry with Matt Damon's character. The actress would also later earn an Oscar nod for her performance in "Good Will Hunting."

After the movie, Driver went on to book several other film roles, including in Joel Schumacher's "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Ella Enchanted." She also ventured more into television, landing roles in series such as "Will & Grace" and "The Riches," which earned her first Emmy nod. Driver later got another Emmy nomination for her performance in the drama "Return to Zero."

More recently, the actress also released her memoir, "Managing Expectations," which she wrote during the COVID-19 lockdown. "Having been metabolized and synthesized by other people my entire adult life, there's a point at which the agency of telling your own story becomes not important, but sort of an interesting exploration," Driver told NPR.

By the time George Plimpton agreed to star in "Good Will Hunting," he was already quite the Hollywood star, having been in the film business since the '60s, starring in films like "Just Cause," "Nixon," and "L.A. Story." In the movie, he delivers a memorable performance as Henry, the first psychologist that Will meets and accuses of being gay. While his screen time in the movie was brief, Plimpton still enjoyed getting recognized in the movie years later.

As far as recognition goes though, Plimpton's went beyond cinema, having co-founded The Paris Review, a literary magazine that celebrates fiction and poetry. He also wrote several books over the years himself. While he may have been busy with his publication and own literary works, Plimpton still found time to do minor acting roles after "Good Will Hunting." In the years that followed, he appeared in series such as "ER" and "Wonderland." He also made cameos in "Just Shoot Me!," "The Simpsons," and Alec Baldwin's "Shortcut to Happiness." Plimpton died on September 25, 2003. He was 76.

In "Good Will Hunting," Bruce Hunter plays the NSA agent who meets with Will Hunting to discuss the possibility of working for the agency. However, when Hunter's character asks him why he shouldn't work for the agency, Will starts to ramble about why it would never work.

Since "Good Will Hunting," Hunter booked roles in other movies, including the hit comedy "Mean Girls." For the most part, however, he's remained in television and streaming. In previous years, Hunter played a judge in the hit legal drama "Suits" and a congressman in the Priyanka Chopra-led crime drama "Quantico." More recently, he has also had roles in "The Umbrella Academy," "Murdoch Mysteries," and the new Canadian sitcom "Shelved." When Hunter isn't doing any onscreen work, he also teaches acting and improv. The actor has also done work as a puppeteer, working on the show "Puppets Who Kill" and playing a polar bear in "The Breathing Hole."

In the movie, Francesco Clemente plays the hypnotist who meets with Will Hunting after his first encounter with a psychologist doesn't work out. Needless to say, their session doesn't go well either and Will even makes a mockery of the whole thing by breaking into song and belting out a few lines from "Afternoon Delight." That's when Clemente's character completely gives up and walks out on him.

Meanwhile, since the movie, it seems Clemente hasn't had much time for acting, save for the comedy "Adam Green's Aladdin" where he played Mustafa. Instead, he has remained focused on his art, which has been his true passion from the beginning, having developed an interest in contemporary art when he was still in his teens. Since then, Clemente has become one of the most celebrated painters today, even being asked to exhibit his works at the famed Guggenheim Museum. Over the years, Clemente has also showcased his art in various venues across Italy, France, China, and the U.S.