Humble Damon cheers Oscar hopeful, friend Ben Affleck

Actor Matt Damon arrives on the red carpet of the international Berlinale film festival on Feb 08, 2013, for the premiere of the movie Promised Land. It seems that wherever Damon goes to promote his movies, he is asked about something else altogether - his old friend and collaborator Ben Affleck, whose Iranian hostage drama Argo is in the running for a Best Picture Oscar. -- PHOTO: AFP

BERLIN (REUTERS) - It seems that wherever Matt Damon goes to promote his movies he is asked about something else altogether - his old friend and collaborator Ben Affleck, whose Iranian hostage drama Argo is in the running for a Best Picture Oscar.

Damon shared a screenplay Academy Award with Affleck for the 1997 film Good Will Hunting and has gone on to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, with blockbusters including Ocean's Eleven and Bourne Identity series.

He was in Berlin on Friday for the festival premiere of Promised Land, a tale set in rural America that tackles the controversial gas extraction technique known as "fracking".

At a news conference following the press screening, the 42-year-old did not have to wait long for a question about Affleck, and, once again, he lavished praise on an actor who he said had endured his share of tough times.