Matt Damon on why 'egos aren't really involved' in making movies with Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck

Matt Damon goes way back with childhood friends Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck, so when he gets the chance to work with them, it's rare he'll say no.

Damon and Casey star in the new buddy action comedy The Instigators, and while Ben may have been left out of an acting role on this one, he's a producer of the Apple Original film. Damon says one of the keys to working so closely with the Affleck brothers, who are both like family, is that they all put aside any "egos."

"They're both so good at what they do. I've written movies with both of them. I've produced movies with both of them. I've acted in movies with both of them. I've been directed by Ben. I think it's just a real deep abiding respect that's kind of based in 45 years of friendship," he told Yahoo Entertainment.

"It makes the work, the whole process of work, really easy. As important as every movie is while you're making it, there's never any question about what's underneath our relationship, right? There's like such a deep and abiding kind of respect and love that however frantic — and it can get frantic making movies because you're literally like lighting money on fire while you're in production," Damon said.

He also credited "the lack of diplomacy" when they are on set.

"We solve problems a lot quicker because we can just be really blunt with each other because our egos aren't really involved," the 54-year-old actor added. "Somebody saying they don't like your idea isn't a threatening thing. When a stranger says that, it's like, 'Oh my God, they think I'm talentless.' But like, if he tells me that ... that must have been a bad idea. Let's move on. So you get to the kind of creative solutions a lot quicker."

In The Instigators, Damon and Casey play reluctant partners who set out to rob a corrupt politician. Casey co-wrote the heist film and says that — no offense to his brother — there was no question he wanted his "great old friend" for the part.

"Matt's one of my favorite actors. He's one of the best actors working and people like to go see him. When you're in a movie with Matt, usually people show up and see the movie. I've done a lot of movies that people haven't seen, so it's nice to be in ones that people do see," the 48-year-old actor told Yahoo.

Although it may seem like Casey is where every actor aims to be career wise — he has an Oscar, is making movies he wants to make (this one was shot in their hometown of Boston, no less) with a best friend — he says he still struggles with his success at times.

"It's nice that [my career is] viewed that way, but from the inside, there's still sort of struggles or people I'd like to work with who don't have any interest in working with me. You know, the Coen brothers, other greats that I've watched forever. They never call up and say, 'Hey, what do you want to do?' There are things that I aspire to do, be a part of, that I don't get to as well," he explained.

"On the other hand, I'm incredibly lucky to have the career that I have, that we have and I'm aware of that every single day. But to the point that Matt was making, like, the older I get, the more I just would like to work with people who I know and love and who I share stories with," Casey said.

The Instigators starts streaming Aug. 9 on Apple TV+