From the moment we first saw an H&R Block, we knew accounting was a sexy, forbidding world we could only dream of. But now, we can have a taste of the fantasy with Ben Affleck in “The Accountant,” and you just have to love a man who’s good with … figures.
Jason Davis (as Neurologist): “Your son is a remarkable young man. He has more in common with Einstein or with Mozart than he does with us.”
Ben Affleck is an autistic math genius in “The Accountant.” He’s also an expert in dishing out major pain.
After finding a dark secret about one of his clients, Ben’s fighting just to stay alive.
Jon Bernthal (as Brax): “If the secrets get too big, killing him may be the cost of doing business.”
The movie is intense, but it’s also lots of fun.
Gavin O’Connor: “I wanted the film to be fun, because there are some themes that are pretty heavy, and there’s some intense scenes and then the action, you know, so the balance of that was really important to me.”
Director Gavin O’Connor told Deco that Ben brought some funnies to the film.
Gavin O’Connor: “A lot of the humor in the movie just came out of improvisational moments that Ben just created in the course of the scenes.”
Who knew Ben was such a funny guy?
Ben Affleck: “I try. You know, I was really lucky, too. When you have a realistic character that you can play, and the behavior is real and everything is rooted in that, it’s easier for that accidental humor that happens in real life to emerge.”
Another pleasant surprise came from the usually very intense actor J.K. Simmons.
J.K. Simmons (as Ray King): “Do you like puzzles? Tell me what you see.”
J.K. plays the director of the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, a serious role. But in real life?
Cynthia Addai-Robinson: “He’s just really cool. He’s a cool cat, you know. He’s as cool as you hope he’s going to be, even though he’s known for playing these really intense roles.”
Cynthia Addai-Robinson, who plays J.K.’s assistant in the film, got to know the Oscar winner really well.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson: “You know, there’s a little bit of intimidation when you’re working with somebody that you admire, but at the same time, you gotta get past that so you can just begin to do the work and live in these characters’ skins.”
J.K. says the intimidation may have helped Cynthia get into character.
J.K. Simmons: “That aspect of the relationship played perfectly into the characters we’re playing, so if I was more of a ruthless kind of guy, I would’ve accentuated that part of the relationship, but the nice, cuddly dad part of me just wanted her to be comfortable and feel at ease.”
And there’s nothing sweeter than that.
J.K. Simmons: “Yeah, this is the acting part. I’m actually just like a really intense, creepy, weird, intimidating guy, and I’m just pretending to just be kinda chill. How am I doing?”
“The Accountant” opens in theaters on Friday, Oct. 14.
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