Ben Affleck Shared His Daily Struggles While Filming 'Justice League'
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Synopsis
In a revealing interview, Ben Affleck discusses his battles with alcoholism during the filming of 'Justice League' and the impact it had on his performance. He reflects on his unhappiness at work and the personal struggles that led to his decision to step back from future roles.
Key Takeaways
- Ben Affleck faced significant challenges while filming 'Justice League.'
- He struggled with alcohol, particularly during his marriage issues.
- His unhappiness affected his performance on set.
- Affleck has been sober for over five years, which has influenced his work positively.
- He stepped back from future roles to prioritize his mental health.
Los Angeles, March 25 (NationPress) Oscar-winning actor Ben Affleck has opened up about his battles with alcohol and the difficulties he faced while donning the cape in Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, Suicide Squad, Justice League, and The Flash.
“I enjoyed Batman v Superman, and I appreciated my brief appearances in The Flash and working with Viola Davis on Suicide Squad,” the actor-director shared in a recent interview, according to deadline.com.
“Creatively, I truly believe in the ambition I had for the character, portraying an older, broken, and damaged Bruce Wayne. This was something we earnestly pursued in the first film,” he expressed to GQ.
However, Justice League was a contrasting experience.
“I certainly wouldn’t want to relive that experience,” he remarked.
“There was a significant misalignment of agendas, expectations, and understandings. Additionally, I wasn’t contributing positively to the situation at that time. I was grappling with my own substantial issues during that period.”
One of those issues was a worsening drinking problem.
“I drank relatively normally for a long time. However, as my marriage began to unravel, my drinking increased,” the actor disclosed to The New York Times in 2020.
When asked about drinking alone in his hotel room, Affleck admitted he did so “quite a bit” while filming Justice League, which he described as his lowest point.
“You’re attempting to alleviate discomfort through eating, drinking, sex, gambling, shopping, or whatever. Ultimately, this worsens your life. Then you engage in more of it to escape that discomfort. That’s when the real pain begins, forming a vicious cycle that is hard to escape. That’s what happened to me.”
Affleck’s self-criticism focuses not on his performances but rather on “what I was bringing to work every day” on set.
“You can watch the various movies and judge my acting failings,” he noted to GQ.
“But more importantly, my negative experience stemmed from the fact that I was bringing a lot of unhappiness to work each day. I didn’t create problems, but I showed up, did my job, and left. However, one must strive to do better than that.”
This realization prompted the two-time Oscar winner to step back from another opportunity to wear the cape in The Batman.
“I shared the The Batman script with someone,” Affleck recounted.
“They remarked, ‘I believe the script is solid, but you might drink yourself to death if you endure what you just went through again.’” There have also been moments when his ongoing struggles and five years of sobriety have positively impacted Affleck’s work.
“With The Way Back, I thought, ‘Okay, people know I’m an alcoholic or in recovery, so I’ll have to discuss this.’ I didn’t mind that. I perhaps underestimated how much — I never aspired to be a national spokesperson for recovering alcoholics.”
“Not because of any shame; I simply find that, having been sober for more than five years, it’s not a primary focus in my life.”
