The run of Ben Affleck as Batman in the most recent DC superhero films was brief and full of untapped potential. (We’ll see how he brings it all together in “The Flash” when that gets made.) While many don’t agree with the choices made by filmmaker Zack Snyder, most can agree that Affleck was a solid choice to play the Dark Knight. But for the actor, as he detailed in a new interview, what started as a job he took for his kids turned into one of the darkest times in his life.
“I did Batman because I wanted to do it for my kids,” said Affleck on a recent episode of the Awards Chatter podcast. “I wanted to do something that my son would dig. I mean, my kids didn’t see ‘Argo.’ Zack [Snyder] wanted to do a version of the Frank Miller ‘Dark Knight’ graphic novel series, which is a really good version of that. Unfortunately, there are a lot of reasons why things go the way they do in the movie business, and just because your face is on the poster doesn’t mean that you’re dictating all of those things — and even if you were, that they would go well.”
He added, “I wore the suit to my son’s birthday party, which was worth every moment of suffering on ‘Justice League.’”
And what was the “suffering” that he endured during “Justice League?” Well, according to the actor, he was going through some serious personal issues that prevented him from fully enjoying his time on the superhero team-up flick.
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“I started drinking too much around the time of ‘Justice League,’ and it’s a hard thing to confront and face and deal with,” he explained. “I’ve been sober for a while now, and I feel really good — as healthy and good as I’ve ever felt. And the process of recovering from alcoholism has been really instructive. I think it’s great for people who aren’t alcoholics, you know? Like, ‘Be honest. Have integrity. Take accountability. Help other people.’ It’s a good set of things that they teach you. It took me a little while to get it — I had a few slips, like most people — but I feel really good.”
He continued, “If you knew how many actors and directors and writers were alcoholics or compulsive in some way — I mean, it’s the most ordinary thing in the world in Hollywood. I’ve worked with actors who showed up drunk! And that was not me. I drank, like, alone in my living room and just passed out, like, with scotch. But I got sober.”
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This interview is happening now because he’s pushing for awards consideration for his 2020 film, “The Way Back,” which was receiving rave reviews primarily for Affleck’s performance. And in that film, he plays a former basketball star that has to confront alcoholism. Obviously, reading these comments, it’s clear why it’s such a personal film for him.
You can hear the whole interview below: