Ben Affleck Gets Support from Matt Damon at SXSW Premiere of The Accountant 2

Ben Affleck is back in action for The Accountant 2.

On Saturday, March 8, the actor, 52, stepped out for the world premiere of his new film, which also stars Jon Bernthal and more, at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas.

Matt Damon, who co-produced the film via his production company with longtime pal Affleck Artists Equity, showed up to support the project. Damon, 53, posed for photos with Affleck while still wearing his full beard for filming Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey movie.

Affleck spoke to reporters including PEOPLE at the red carpet, sharing why he and Damon make a good team.

“It’s a beautiful thing. You know, I don’t have very many— none of us really have very many friends. You don’t need a million friends. You need a few good ones. And I’m really lucky to have had a friend in Matt,” said Affleck. “… I’m lucky to have friends like that in my life.”

The Accountant 2 centers around Affleck’s character Christian Wolff as he tries to solve a case after “an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to ‘find the accountant,’ ” according to a synopsis.

“Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother Brax to help. In partnership with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.”

Director Gavin O’Connor told PEOPLE at the SXSW premiere that Affleck “understands the character so well” and has done “so much research” for The Accountant 2.

“It’s a temptation for actors when they play, say, genius to chew it up and over-act. He never does that. It’s always simple, it’s always honest, it’s always truthful. It’s just beautiful acting.”

While the first installment of the film series, 2016’s The Accountant, also starred Anna Kendrick, Jeffrey Tambor, Jean Smart and John Lithgow, the actors are not back for this sequel. J.K. Simmons does return as Ray King, director of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Bureau.

Affleck and Damon share the screen again in the upcoming thriller RIP, also produced under Artists Equity. Affleck previously teased at the 2025 Next on Netflix Special Presentation that the movie will be one that “takes a look at the things people will do for money.”

He further described RIP as a “really fun, engaging ride that keeps you guessing. It’s a compelling, complicated human drama that also hues to these elements of cinema that people have loved forever.”