LOS ANGELES, March 23 -- Young pals Matt Damon and Ben Affleck won the Oscar for best original screenplay for 'Good Will Hunting,' a drama about a troubled math genius and the therapist who counsels him. It was the third year in a row that an actor or actors won an Oscar for writing a screenplay.
Billy Bob Thornton won last year for 'Slingblade,' while Emma Thompson won in 1996 for 'Sense and Sensibility.' Damon and Affleck co-starred in 'Good Will Hunting' with best supporting actor winner Robin Williams. The pair were kidded throughout the evening about their youthful good looks by Academy Awards host Billy Crystal and Williams, who said he still wanted to see their IDs. Damon, who's among Hollywood's fastest rising stars, lost his bid for a best actor to veteran Jack Nicholson, who starred in the romantic comedy 'As Good as it Gets.' But he and Affleck were jubilant about the screenwriting award. ---
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