Ben Affleck Receives Brown University Honorary Degree [VIDEO]
The accolades keep pouring in for Ben Affleck.
In a year when his film Argo took home the top prize at this year's Oscars, the actor/director has now received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from Brown University at this Sunday's graduation ceremony. Affleck was one of six figures to receive the degree, among them was the author and Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Diaz.
Affleck used his speech to praise his mother Christine, herself an educator, who attended the ceremony.
"This means a lot to her," said Affleck. "She never got to see me graduate from any higher education at all. So, Mom, this is for you. I love you."
He even used the ceremony to get in a crack at longtime pal Matt Damon.
"This is a spectacular honor for me," he said. "Among other things today, in terms of higher education, I passed Matt Damon."
Damon attended Harvard University as an English major, but dropped out to pursue his acting career. At the time, he only needed 12 credits to graduate. Affleck briefly attended University of Vermont, but only for one semester. He later studied Middle Eastern studies at Occidental in Los Angeles, but stayed for only a year.
Damon, to his credit, was given the 2013 Harvard Arts Medal.
But the actor says his older daughter Violet is still a bit dubious on his achievement.
When told of the award, Affleck said the 7-year-old said to her father, "'Why are you doing that, Dad? You went to no classes and did no homework.'"
Affleck isn't the first actor to have received an honorary degree from the university. Brown has already given the award to fellow actor Meryl Streep. Streep has racked up D.F.A.s from other Ivy League schools Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
Affleck's next film, the crime thriller Runner, Runner, is due in September. He also has a film in pre-production that he will direct and star in, Live By Night, based on a book by Dennis Lehane.
Check out the video of Ben Affleck's speech here!
