Nothing like a milestone birthday to make a person feel introspective. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, actor Ben Affleck, currently starring alongside George Clooney in The Tender Bar, reflects on his decades-long career, the changing landscape of cinema, and how starring in Joss Whedon‘s Justice League contributed to him reaching his breaking point.
Affleck cited his experience on Justice League as the lowest point for himself, personally. Clarifying that his feelings are not indicative of the quality of the project itself, he said that the overall “bad experience” was due to a combination of factors, including his divorce from actress Jennifer Garner, his frequent travel, the death of director Zack Snyder‘s daughter, and the subsequent reshoots with Whedon. “It just was the worst experience. It was awful. It was everything that I didn’t like about this.” Affleck added. The experience with Justice League was not the final time Affleck would become disenchanted with playing the Caped Crusader.
After playing Bruce Wayne in both Justice League and 2016’s Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice opposite Henry Cavill, Affleck was set to both direct and star in the stand-alone film The Batman. He stepped away from the project entirely in 2019. A new film of the same name is expected to release in March 2022, with Robert Pattinson in the title role. While Affleck admits he might have enjoyed the challenge as a younger man, changing his priorities to focus on experience over all else was, in his words, “a wonderful benefit.”
But with this new outlook, comes the harsh reality of a changing industry, something that became clear with Ridley Scott‘s The Last Duel. The historical film stars Affleck’s longtime friend and collaborator Matt Damon—who co-wrote the film alongside Affleck and Nicole Holofcener —as well as Jodie Comer and Adam Driver. Affleck’s own performance in the film garnered positive reviews, the actor himself greatly enjoyed his work on the film, saying “I really loved the movie, and I liked what I did in it. I was disappointed more people didn’t see it, but I can’t chase what’s going to be cool. I’m happy with it.” However, difficult subject matter and the ongoing difficulty of going to theatres meant that The Last Duel performed poorly at the box office.
Not that Affleck is letting matters beyond his control affect his outlook. He readily admitted that perhaps the movie theatre does not hold the same appeal it once did, and that previous generations are resistant to change. Whatever the shifting landscape of the industry might be, Affleck is keeping his focus where it matters: being there for his children, and doing what he must to raise them. Which means not letting the opinions of others dictate his choices, saying, “I don’t care. I’ve got to live with myself, my life and my choices and how that makes me feel. And I’m just glad I figured that out.”
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