While making the rounds to promote the upcoming filmThe Way Back, the one and onlyBen Affleckmade time to break down some of his most iconic characters and spill some juicyJustice Leagueinsights. Affleck has been all kinds of candid about his personal life during this latest bout of promotional duties (exhibit A: a recent chat with theNew York Times), so it should come as no surprise that candor has extended to his working history, too.
In a video interview with GQ magazine, Affleck opens up about his characters in films likeDazed and Confused,Armageddon,Pearl Harbor,The Town,Argo, and his DCEU picsBatman v SupermanandJustice League. We’ll get to those previous roles in a sec, but what’s of real interest right up top are Affleck’s comments about his time spentas Batmanworking on these two Warner Bros. features. For his part, Affleck began the segment by reflection onJustice League, sharing with GQ that “Justice Leaguewas unfortunately touched by some personal tragedy — a death in (director) Zack’s [Synder] family. And like I say, sometimes things sort of work and gel and sometimes you seem to be having one problem after another,” before mentioning he “really loved” working onBatman v Superman. HisJustice Leaguecomment seems to imply that working on the film was tough and not because of Snyder’s departure despite not elaborating on the remark.
Affleck continues in the interview, telling GQ about stepping down from playing Batman for good:
“I had my fill of that. They said, ‘Would you like to direct and star in a solo Batman movie?’ And I found that, at some point, I had lost my enthusiasm or passion for it. And I thought this should really be made by someone who for whom it’s their wildest dream come true. It was clear to me it was time to move on.”
Affleck dedicated a few years to portraying the storied DC Comics character beforestepping down in 2017while developing a solo Batman movie he was meant to direct and star in. That movie,The Batman, is now being directed byMatt Reevesand starsRobert Pattinsonas the Caped Crusader.
In addition to serving up the tea on his time as Batman, Affleck also opened up about the thrill of working with the lateRobin WilliamsonGood Will Hunting, how he learned to be a screenwriter and filmmaker from his time spent on the sets ofDazed and ConfusedwithRichard Linklaterand later,Chasing AmywithKevin Smith, and just how bananas it was makingArmageddon.
You can watch Affleck break down all of his iconic characters, including Batman, for GQ below. For more, check out ourreview of Affleck’s upcoming film,The Way Back.
