Hunks show Good Will to Janitors
The Boston Herald
May 7, 2000.

Harvard dropout Matt Damon and his fellow celebrity Cantabrigian Ben Affleck added the star power to a jampacked rally yesterday to urge the Ivy League university to start sharing the wealth with its workers.

The Oscar-winning ``Good Will Hunting'' hunks, sporting golden tans and scruffy work boots, delivered impassioned speeches about the Little Guy's need for a $10.25-per-hour living wage. The Harvard Living Wage Campaign claims the school pays workers an hourly wage as low as $6.50 an hour.

``Make this school a place where you don't have to avert your eyes in shame when you encounter a janitor in the hallway,'' said Affleck, whose father was a janitor and whose stepmother was a cleaning woman.

As a former privileged resident of both the Ivy League's ivory tower and the city's less-than-chic streets, Damon acknowledged the ``strained relationship'' between the two.

``I'm a proud child of that rocky marriage,'' the Talented Mr. Damon said, flashing that megawatt movie star smile. ``I'm terminally optimistic that marriage can work.''

After the toothsome Tinseltown twosome spoke, their favorite radical historian, BU prof Howard Zinn, took the stage. Apres Zinn's spin of the sorry salary situation at Harvard, the trio shared hugs, worked the crowd and then repaired into Old

Littauer Hall for a round of interviews.

Even the school's spokesman, Joe Wrinn, admitted he was in awe of the colossal crowd the Cambridge homeboys-cum-social activists attracted.

``I've got to hand it to them, it's the largest (rally) I've ever seen,'' said Wrinn, who defended the salary structure by saying wages should be set ``through collective bargaining.''

Not social activism, in other words.

``I've got to credit the kids for their creativeness,'' he said. ``(Matt and Ben) appeared very sincere and admirable.''

And speaking of admiration, sitting next to Affleck's mom, Chris, at the rally was his off-again-on-again galpal Gwyneth Paltrow, dressed in her '60s radical denim duds, flip-flops and hobbling with a red cane!

Now, we're not Harvard Medical School grads, but from the look of a bandage on the toes of her left foot, it appears Miss Shakespeare in Love has a broken tootsie. Do you think she got her piggy caught in a pair of Sliding Doors?

As we told you soooo many times before, the Hollywood hotties were in town this weekend to lend their famous faces to an All-Star American Repertory Theatre benefit at the fab Four Seasons.

During the glitzy gathering, Matt, Ben and ``Committed'' star Casey Affleck acted in scenes from stage plays written by Newton's own David Mamet, Steve Martin and Christopher Durang. Their acting teacher, David Wheeler, is now an ART director.

Also seen applauding in the hoity-toity throng was the boys' good pal, ``Gladiator'' guy Joaquin Phoenix, who bolted out of Boston yesterday morning.

Good Will all around!