AceShowbiz - In an insightful interview with GQ magazine, Ben Affleck reflected on the diverging paths his acting career has taken compared to that of his close friend and fellow Oscar winner, Matt Damon.

After their breakthrough success with "Good Will Hunting" in 1997, which won them the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, the two friends chose markedly different approaches to their careers.

Affleck attributed much of this difference to Damon's strategic focus on working with renowned directors. "Matt learned and knew earlier than I did to really key in on the director as the fundamental basis on which he's going to make a decision whether to do a movie or not, which was a very wise choice," Affleck told GQ.

This decision has led Damon to collaborate with esteemed filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg ("Saving Private Ryan"), Martin Scorsese ("The Departed"), and Steven Soderbergh ("Ocean's Eleven"), among others.

Meanwhile, Affleck gravitated towards big-budget action blockbusters and major studio productions, starring in films like "Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor," and "Daredevil", and "Justice League".

"It's not like I was saying, 'No, Scorsese, no, Spielberg, I'm not going to be in your movie,' " Affleck remarked. "If Martin Scorsese called me and told me to play a waiter, I would take it. Steven Spielberg is one of the great filmmaking architects to ever live."

Damon recently ditched his role in Netflix's "Animals" which will be directed by Affleck for Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey", and Affleck defended his pal's decision. "I feel that way about Chris Nolan. I may go visit Matt on the set just to watch Nolan direct. I'm not even kidding at all," he said.

Affleck also expressed admiration for his friend's dedication to preparing for the physically demanding role, likening it to the intense training required for the "Bourne Identity" films.

"He's going off to do this Chris Nolan movie and doing a lot of stunt rehearsal," he dished on. "You really have to go learn the fights. This is 'Bourne Identity' kind of territory."

Affleck himself is returning to action in "The Accountant 2," set to hit theaters on April 25. However, he acknowledged that his approach to stunt work has evolved.

"I used to be very gung ho about like, 'Oh, I'll do the fights, I'll do the stunts.' And now I am very much, 'At what point is the stunt performer going to come in and do this?' " he confessed, citing both the toll on his body and the superior expertise of professional stunt performers.

The contrasting choices of these two actors could offer a valuable lesson for young actors and film enthusiasts on the path to a fulfilling career in Hollywood.