Back in 2016, Ben Affleck made his Dark Knight debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice. He also appeared as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Justice League and Suicide Squad. However, he ultimately left The Batman, a film he had originally planned to direct and star in. Now, Affleck is opening up about why he took on the role in first place.
“I did Batman because I wanted to do it for my kids,” said Affleck during a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I wanted to do something that my son would dig… Zack [Snyder] wanted to do a version of the Frank Miller Dark Knight graphic novel series, which is a really good version of that. Unfortunately, there are a lot of reasons why things go the way they do in the movie business, and just because your face is on the poster doesn’t mean that you’re dictating all of those things — and even if you were, that they would go well.”
“I wore the suit to my son’s birthday party, which was worth every moment of suffering on Justice League,” added Affleck.
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Affleck also addressed his struggle to maintain his sobriety during that time in his life.
“I started drinking too much around the time of Justice League,” added Affleck. “And it’s a hard thing to confront and face and deal with. I’ve been sober for a while now, and I feel really good — as healthy and good as I’ve ever felt. And the process of recovering from alcoholism has been really instructive. I think it’s great for people who aren’t alcoholics, you know? Like, ‘Be honest. Have integrity. Take accountability. Help other people.’
“It’s a good set of things that they teach you,” continued Affleck. “It took me a little while to get it — I had a few slips, like most people — but I feel really good. If you knew how many actors and directors and writers were alcoholics or compulsive in some way — I mean, it’s the most ordinary thing in the world in Hollywood. I’ve worked with actors who showed up drunk! And that was not me. I drank, like, alone in my living room and just passed out, like, with scotch. But I got sober.”
Affleck will reprise his role as Batman in The Flash, which will film later this year.
Recommended Reading: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: The Art of the Film
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