Ben Affleck says he was miserable and drinking too much on Justice League
The actor told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent cover story that working on the film left a “monstrous taste” in his mouth.
Actor Ben Affleck leaves after speaking at the DealBook Summit in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Ben Affleck was “miserable” as he was drinking “too much” while shooting Justice League.
The 50-year-old actor told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent cover story that working on the film left a “monstrous taste” in his mouth.
"You could teach a seminar on all the reasons why this is how not to do it. Ranging from production to bad decisions to horrible personal tragedy, and just ending with the most monstrous taste in my mouth."
He added: “That was the worst experience I’ve ever seen in a business which is full of some shitty experiences. It broke my heart.”
The film was plagued by difficulties and dram, and dogged by constant rewrites and reshoots with Joss Whedon after the film’s original director Zack Snyder left the project after his daughter took her life in 2017.
Dad-of-three Affleck – who had children Violet, 17, Samuel, 11, and Seraphina, 14, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner – spoke about the challenges: “There was an idea of someone (Whedon) coming in, like, ‘I’ll rescue you and we’ll do 60 days of shooting and I’ll write a whole thing around what you have. I’ve got the secret.’ And it wasn’t the secret. That was hard.
“And I started to drink too much. I was back at the hotel in London, it was either that or jump out the window.
“And I just thought, ‘This isn’t the life I want. My kids aren’t here. I’m miserable.’”
Affleck also branded playing Batman unsatisfying as it left him “sweaty” and “exhausted”.
The actor, who married his former love Jennifer Lopez, 52, last year, added that his struggles with drinking have unintentionally made him a “poster boy for actor alcoholism and recovery”.
He also said he has turned down chances to direct big-budget projects and take huge roles so he can stay at home with his family.
Affleck added: “These years are too important. If I miss them, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.
“And then I thought, ‘Okay, well, if I’m in Los Angeles and I’m in an office and I’m doing this work, I can step out for the basketball game or the jazz performance.’ So I protect those things.”
