Die-hard Boston Red Sox fans Matt Damon and Ben Affleck did the unthinkable on Monday night, donning San Francisco Giants caps — all in the name of Robin Williams.
The duo was honored by Bring Change to Mind, a mental health nonprofit co-founded by Glenn Close, at the organization’s Revels & Revelations celebration in the Bay Area, where they received the Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award in recognition of their influence and the power of storytelling.
Damon and Affleck took the stage to accept their awards carrying Giants hats, in honor of Williams, a longtime fan of the team. “We should get this over with,” Damon sneered as they both put on their hats. “This is the first time in 55 years, and this is for Robin.”
The actors starred opposite the late legend — who died by suicide at the age of 63 in 2014 — in 1997. Goodwill fishingwhich also earned Williams an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Damon told the audience how he and Affleck spent their 20s trying to get the film made, “and the minute Robin read it and decided to do it, all our problems went away. The studio had all these notes; that was the whole thing, and as soon as Robin said, ‘No, I like the script the way it is,’ they were like, ‘We think it’s great, too!'” And that was it, and we just went and made the movie.
Affleck went on to say that accepting the award was “just our way of saying thank you to Robin, who is the person who has had the biggest impact on our careers, without him, and without whom a lot of our dreams might not have come true, certainly not in the way they did. And also, I think it’s no coincidence that it’s a movie about a young person struggling with mental health who needs to find someone they can talk to and feel safe. I think it’s really relevant; it will do that.” I think I would be very proud and happy that this context is the way he is being honored.
Williams’ sons Zack, Zelda and Cody Williams were on hand to present the award, and Close, Sarah Silverman, Chase Stokes and Chris Martin also participated in the event. The evening raised $2.5 million while celebrating 15 years of starting conversations about mental health.
