Office Space is an all-time classic, right? But hold up—what if I told you that Good Will Hunting legends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were almost the stars? Yep, for real. Back in the day, Fox was all about casting Ben and Matt for the role that went to Ron Livingston. But here’s the plot twist: Ron Livingston audition was straight-up fire and couldn’t be ignored.
Mike Judge, the genius behind the film, was looking for someone who didn’t have “star energy”—and Affleck and Damon riding high on their fame. He met with Matt Damon, who was super into the script but still knew Livingston was his guy. “I’d found Peter,” Judge said. And that’s how Peter Gibbons, the ultimate office drone, was born.
But wait, there’s more to the Office Space casting than Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. While Peter was getting his cubicle moment, Jennifer Aniston was being cast as Joanna (the waitress who gives Peter all the feels) —before she became a Friends icon. At the time, Aniston wasn’t exactly a household name, and she was just hyped to do a comedy like Office Space. She even said, “I was excited about doing a comedy like Office Space; features like that weren’t flying my way at that point.” Talk about humble beginnings.
Now, for the really wild part—Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn both auditioned for the role of Lawrence, Peter’s laid-back, lovable neighbor. Can you imagine Vaughn throwing in those signature one-liners? That would’ve been a whole different vibe. Ultimately, Diedrich Bader nailed it, but still—what could’ve been?
Fast forward 20 years, and Office Space is still the ultimate go-to for anyone who’s survived a brutal workday. While Matt Damon and Ben Affleck never made to it to the final cast, the humor, the characters, the whole vibe of the movie still hits home for everyone stuck in the grind. To celebrate, Entertainment Weekly dropped an epic oral history of the film, packed with behind-the-scenes stories from Mike Judge, Jennifer Aniston, and the gang.
So yeah, next time you’re stuck in a cubicle, just remember: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck could’ve been your co-workers. Wild, right?
