It’s hard for celebrities to find true friends. They never know if people like them for who they really are or if they are just attracted to the money and fame.
Luckily, some celebs have had each other’s backs since the old days. Here are some backstories about Hollywood’s famous besties.
1. Matt Damon And Ben Affleck
Damon and Affleck have known each other since they were eight years old, but didn’t become good friends until high school. The two starred in high school plays, while occasionally taking a trip to New York to audition for bigger roles.
The two made a major breakthrough when they won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. Before that they appeared as extras in Field of Dreams and a more prominent role in School Ties.
While they had a decade-long hiatus during which they didn’t collaborate, they’ve made more than 10 movies together in their careers. Their most recent is called The Runner, which they had tried to fund for nearly 15 years before finally succeeding.
2. Elijah Wood And Macaulay Culkin
You may find it hard to picture these two stars hanging out together. Wood has an eternal baby face, while Culkin looks a little rough around the edges these days.
But make no mistake, these two are good buddies. They starred opposite each other in The Good Son when they were barely teenagers, and they till continue to hang out today.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire
Talk about a power couple! These two soon-to-be stars met at an audition when they were kids and never looked back.
They’ve been good friends ever since, sometimes having a little too much fun and getting in a bit of trouble. They finally co-starred opposite each other in The Great Gatsby, with Leo play the titular character and Maguire playing Nick Carraway.
4. Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, and Tom Cruise
Can you imagine trying to find a date when your classmates are three future superstars? These three leading men all attended Santa Monica High, where the rich and famous sent their sons and daughters.
They’ve gone on to have decades-long careers, and all three of them have stayed in the spotlight since the ’80s. Theirs is probably one of the few class reunions that have paparazzi snapping photos.
5. Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie
These two famous-for-being-famous starlets set the stage for the Kardashians with their reality TV exploits. Hilton’s family owns the Hilton hotel chain and Nicole Ritchie is the daughter of singer Lionel Ritchie; other than that, their resumes were a little thin.
After Hilton’s sex tape was leaked, she vaulted in popularity. She starred alongside Ritchie in the reality show The Simple Life, and the two simultaneously delighted and exasperated the American public.
Kim Kardashian would use a very similar formula to catapult herself into the public eye. The American public has since gotten used to people being famous for being famous, but Hilton and Ritchie were early trailblazers.
