Ben Affleck and Matt Damon gave 'Air' screenwriter sole credit to 'pay it forward' from when they got a chance as up-and-coming writers

• Newbie "Air" screenwriter Alex Convery said Ben Affleck and Matt Damon gave him sole writing credits.
• Affleck told him they wanted to "pay it forward" to up-and-coming writers, like Affleck and Damon once were, Vulture reported.

The screenwriter behind the new film "Air" says Ben Affleck and Matt Damon gave him the sole writing credit because they wanted to "pay it forward" from when they were given a chance as up-and-coming writers, according to Vulture.

Newbie screenwriter Alex Convery told Vulture he finally got his big break last April when industry legends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck signed on to produce "Air," which chronicles Nike's rise to industry dominance in the 1980s with the help of Michael Jordan.

Convery expected to be side-lined from the project once such big names came on board, thinking the pair — who won Oscars for writing "Good Will Hunting" — would re-write much of his script and push his writing credits to the bottom, according to Vulture.

But, Ben Affleck didn't let that happen. Convery told Vulture the director pulled him aside after the shoot was finished and said, "'We're not going to arbitrate, we're going to give you sole credit.'"

"'When we were coming up as writers, so many people gave us the benefit of the doubt and gave us a chance. They paid it forward for us and we're going to pay it back,'" Convery recalled to Vulture.

"Air," starring Affleck, Damon, and Viola Davis, premiered in theatres on Wednesday.