Ben Affleck’s played everything from a playa from Boston to Batman from Gotham. Now, he’s a troubled basketball coach in “The Way Back.” We put Deco’s Alex Miranda in the way back machine to meet up with Ben and friends.
Ben Affleck opened up to me this afternoon really vulnerably.
We talked about his addiction to alcohol, how that affected his former marriage to Jennifer Garner and how his new movie, “The Way Back,” really parallels a lot of his life and inspires him.
You might think you know Ben Affleck.
Ben Affleck: “The tabloids very much distort your image because they’re fascinated with … stuff or sensational stuff, or just plain bull****. They’ll just make it up. ‘Throws a fit!’ ‘Clings to life!’ ‘Rages at teammates!'”
Alex Miranda: “I don’t know if that was the impression, though!”
Ben Affleck: “I also think that people think I’m some kind of fratty jock.”
Alex Miranda: “Yeah, I guess you’d think that maybe from the tabloids!”
Ben Affleck: “That’s not me at all!”
This A-lister is getting more real and more vulnerable than ever in “The Way Back.”
Character in “The Way Back”: “I hate the idea of you down there by yourself all the time just drinking.”
Ben Affleck (as Jack Cunningham): “I’m fine.”
The drama is about a former high school basketball star who falls into alcoholism after experiencing a devastating loss, but he gets a second chance at life when he’s offered the coaching job for that same team decades later.
Alex Miranda: “Publicly, Ben, you’ve talked about the fact that you’ve struggled with addiction to alcohol, and here you are taking on a role that deals with exactly that.”
Ben Affleck: “I was able to drink normally for a long time, and then, I got divorced, and that caused me a lot of pain, you know? Because I felt like I let my children down.”
Ben opening up and telling me the stigma needs to end, and it just doesn’t help.
Ben Affleck: “There are things that I feel shame about, for sure, but I think shame is really toxic and is just really destructive.”
He also said he was inspired by his character, Jack, who somehow finds it in him to overcome an unimaginable tragedy.
Ben Affleck: “Mostly, I think people do get better from the challenges in their life, and I think that sort of builds character. I wish that this wasn’t a part of my life because it’s difficult, but I’ve learned a lot, and I definitely have a much greater access to my own emotional life to bring to acting as a result of my life experiences.”
Ben also wants people to know that addicts are more than their addiction, and he said some of the greatest people he’s ever met are in recovery.
“The Way Back” hits theaters March 6.
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