I wanted to make this for Ben Affleck Appreciation Week but had too many deadlines so I’m doing it now.
Ben Affleck Appreciation Week | Favorite relationship - Joe Kindregan
One of Ben’s lesser known friendships - Joe was one of Ben’s closest friends ever since meeting him on the set of the film Forces of Nature (1998) when he was just 10 years old. Since then Ben flew him out to visit him on every one of his film sets for as long as they knew each other. He even had a small role as an extra in Argo!
Joe had a rare neurological disease called ataxia-telangiectasia, degenerative multi-system disease. In 2001 Ben was by his side to testify in front a U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee where he urged them to support stem-cell research and double the budget of the National Institute of health.Â
In 2007, he he was the speaker at Joe’s high school graduation ceremony, and when Joe turned 21, Ben took him and his friends to Las Vegas to celebrate.
In 2013, Ben and Jennifer Garner launched a fundraiser for the A-T Children's Project, promising to match the donations up to ÂŁ15,625, raising a final of more than ÂŁ36,250.
Joe passed away on 18th July 2015, succumbing to his disease. He was an important part of Ben’s life and a valued friend.You can hear him talk about his friendship with Ben here.
