It was a dreamlike time for me from December 1997 to March of '98. Before that, I was basically unknown. Then, bang! The starting gun fired, and everybody just started running. It was learn-on-the-job. And there were more opportunities for work than I had time to do them.

Previously he dated Gwyneth Paltrow in 1998 and his relationship with actress/singer Jennifer Lopez in which they were dubbed "Bennifer" attracted worldwide media attention before it ended in 2004. He was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival won the Supporting Actor of the Year award at the Hollywood Film Festival and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.

In 1997 Affleck gained recognition as a writer when he won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for best original screenplay for Good Will Hunting (1997) which he co-wrote with actor Matt Damon. Previously he dated Gwyneth Paltrow in 1998 and his relationship with actress/singer Jennifer Lopez in which they were dubbed "Bennifer" attracted worldwide media attention before it ended in 2004. He then directed and starred in The Town (2010) and Argo (2012) which won him the Golden Globe Award BAFTA and Directors Guild Award for Best Director and the Golden Globe Award BAFTA the Producers Guild Award and the Academy Award for Best Picture.