Earlier this year, Ben Affleck was flying off of sheer love for his Academy Award-winning Argo. But then he dared to accept the role of Batman in the Man of Steel sequel Batman Vs. Superman and the internet rushed to let him know that all his critical praise and box office success amounted to zilch when it came to suiting up as their beloved Dark Knight. But it's cool, guys. No matter how many of you sign petitions or rail against him, Affleck is stoked and ready to play Bruce Wayne. Besides, he knows at the end of the day all the matters is not the hubbub and outcry that came before but the final result.
Talking to EW Affleck shared:
"I mean, that’s the sort of great and terrible thing about this business. Each project is kind of in its own silo, you know what I mean? You do something, it works, people say it works. And if the next one doesn’t, you know, it doesn’t. You don’t get to start ahead because you did well last time. Without getting into the vagaries of the internet and who’s sort of out there being vocal about it, at the end of the day, when you get into the arena of those kinds of movies, these superhero movies, particularly ones that are working with characters that everyone’s known for so long, everybody’s got these strongly held opinions and preconceived ideas about what it should be. I totally understand and recognize that. At the same time, I don’t think projections about something that hasn’t happened yet are all that meaningful. I think at the end of the day, it’s like any other movie or project: You go out and make it great, people will say it’s great. If you go out and miss, you’ll hear about it. The stuff beforehand is kind of just the noise that happens."
Affleck's had some incredible highs and lows in his career, so he knows what he's talking about. The highs can be counted as Argo, The Town which also earned Oscar nods, and Good Will Hunting which snagged him and best bud/writing partner an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The lows? Oh, how about the Kevin Smith dud Jersey Girl, or his onscreen romp with ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez Gigli, which some have called one of the worst movies ever made? Hey, even off of the success of Argo, his 2013 offering Runner Runner opened with a whimper so small you might not even have known it came out. Highs and lows, guys. It's what show business is all about.
Having worked in front of the camera and behind the scenes, Affleck has become a savvy Hollywood player. Which is likely why he's playing it so coy when asked outright about the Batsuit. Recently, his buddy Smith gushed about how Affleck looked in Batman Vs. Superman's take on the classic cape and cowl, but Affleck himself is keeping things close to his chest. Asked flat-out what it was like wearing the Batsuit for the first time, Affleck offered a non-answer that should be studied by future wannabe A-listers. He said:
"Well, I don’t want to get too far afield and I’m sure I’ll have time to talk about Batman down the road. What I’ll say is that I really like Zack (Snyder). From what I’ve seen of what’s Zack is doing, it’s made me very excited. One of the nice things about being an actor in that movie is they show you all the stuff before anyone else gets to see it. So all the sort of world-creation, and the take on the character and the other characters is really exciting. And at the end of the day, the truth is it’s really directors that make movies work or not — especially these kinds of movies, where it’s about the whole world, and a rising tide lifts all ships. And if it all has integrity, if it all has a sense of realism, then it works. And if it doesn’t, than it doesn’t really matter what everyone’s doing [on the screen] because they just look like a bunch of Mexican wrestlers in suits."
So the Batsuit won't look like a luchador's. Thanks, Ben.
