phx 💥
Twitter: @phxforced
Anushka Bidani: Did you start off as a fan page for Matt and Ben or did that come later for you?
phxforced: I watched their films growing up and then saw people talking about them online, so I watched more of their films.
AB: Did the films get you intrigued about their personal dynamics also or was that the people talking online?
phxforced: It was always a pop culture thing, so I already knew, but seeing an increase in posts about it made me look further. Good Will Hunting shows a lot of their dynamic, but their appearances in Kevin Smith films also reveal other things.
AB: Right! There was an increase in interest since last summer, no? Any idea what triggered that?
phxforced: Yes. But it really went up after the 2021 “Which Could Mean Nothing” article about Matt going to Ben’s house without his wedding ring. Again. That phrase has actually changed how we speak about people. I consider it part of the modern lexicon.
As for last summer, I think it’s because of news articles about Ben and JLO’s troubled marriage. And people clipping Matt Damon interviews where he clearly doesn’t want to discuss it despite reporters’ insistence. It got much worse when Challengers released, which is ironic because JLO’s file for divorce lists the premiere date of that film as their date of separation. Which could mean nothing!
AB: Oh wow. That’s interesting! I actually got into them through one of your tweets, featuring an edit, which went viral a month or so ago. It really pulled me into them, and once I started reading about their relationship I just could not stop! I know you also edit a lot – How did you get into video editing, and what made you edit them?
phxforced: Which tweet of mine did you see?
I’m a filmmaker and I have been editing since I was a kid. It’s like second nature even though I hate doing it sometimes. I edited them because there were certain songs and clips I wanted to see with them in edits that didn’t exist. So I just thought, “what the hell, why not?” Now I can’t stop. I just made one the other day to the song “Options,” which used to be an editing trend years ago.
AB: It was this one! And that’s so cool. What‘s most important to you while editing – making a fun video or getting a certain narrative right?
phxforced: I try to make the clips match the lyrics because I think it’s funny. I also try to make them on beat but that can be challenging with fast songs. Sometimes I include certain clips with the original audio too. Most of the time, I’m trying to amuse my friends with little jokes when I make them.
AB: Has your interest in MattFleck also helped you make new friends?
phxforced: Yeah, there’s a group chat called damonators and it’s full of us. I also made a lot of mutuals here and on TikTok. Lots of us like Kevin Smith films, so we also talk about that.
AB: He’s a very interesting fimmaker. I watched his film Dogma recently, and besides the MattFleck aspect of it, the film itself is SO good.
phxforced: Dogma is one of my favorites.
AB: Which other films of his do you enjoy?
phxforced: Clerks, Chasing Amy, and Mallrats. I’d say Clerks is my favorite with Dogma and Chasing Amy tied for second, then Mallrats a close third.
AB: Do you think of yourself as a MattFleck fan page now, or have you always seen your page as more of a personal blog?
phxforced: I’m a bit of both. I do talk more about my life and other movies and shows.
AB: And last question. Which of your own edits is your personal favourite?
phxforced: That’s hard but it has to be ‘romantic tropes’ or ‘options’.
phxforced: People really like Meet Me Halfway a lot though. I saw somebody say they TEARED UP.
This interview by Anushka Bidani is part of the series, The Fan Page Project.