Ben Affleck as Batman wasn’t initially welcomed too nicely by the audience because they were too smitten with Christian Bale’s tremendous acting. However, with the gradual passage of time, DC fans realized that the Good Will Hunting star was actually a good enough choice to play their dark, caped crusader. But it seems that fans have realized this a bit too late, considering how he has already left his role far behind to move forward in his career.
Though it was mostly his unhappiness on sets, a major part behind his decision to leave the character of Batman was also inspired by Affleck’s longtime buddy, Matt Damon, who also encouraged him to go for a different role instead, which ended up making him realize how he had more fun playing a villain than a superhero.
Ben Affleck Didn’t Want To Play Batman Anymore Because He Was Unhappy
While the audience had a good time watching Ben Affleck spectacularly pull off the character of Batman, it wasn’t the same with the Air star. Sharing his unhappy experience on the sets of Justice League, he revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:
“I had a really nadir experience around ‘Justice League’ for a lot of different reasons. Not blaming anybody, there’s a lot of things that happened. But really what it was is that I wasn’t happy. I didn’t like being there. I didn’t think it was interesting. And then some really s***** things, awful things happened. But, that’s when I was like, I’m not going to do that anymore.”
That was also when his closest pal Matt Damon stepped into the picture to save him from the feeling of unhappiness that he was falling in.
Matt Damon Inspired Ben Affleck To Go For A Role That Made Him Happy Instead
Ben Affleck then went on to share with Entertainment Weekly how his best friend played a huge role in his decision to leave his character and the DC Universe behind.
“In fact, I talked to you [Matt Damon] about it and you were a principal influence on that decision. I want to do the things that would bring me joy.”
He further explained how he had more fun shooting his next film after his last Batman portrayal in Justice League (2017), in which he played the character of a villain, and also starred his lifelong companion in a prominent role.
“Then we went and did ‘Last Duel’ and I had fun every day on this movie. I wasn’t the star, I wasn’t likable. I was a villain. I wasn’t all the things I thought I was supposed to be when I started out and yet it was a wonderful experience. And it was all just stuff that came along that I wasn’t chasing.”
From all of this, although it’s still early to conclude if Ben Affleck would look better playing a superhero or a villain, one thing’s for certain – he can’t have a better friend than Matt Damon. (And vice versa, of course!)
Source: YouTube | Entertainment Weekly
