Ben Affleck reveals the reason why he no longer likes to take on as many lead roles in movies. Affleck, who is set to appear in George Clooney's upcoming drama The Tender Bar, is one of the most recognizable actors acting working today, but is also an Oscar-winning director and writer. Getting his start with films like Good Will Hunting (for which he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay), Affleck has gone on to star in a number of hit films, including Argo, The Town, and Gone Girl, as well as taking a turn as DC's Caped Crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Recently, however, Affleck has changed course slightly in his acting career, appearing in The Last Duel in a supporting role opposite Adam Driver, Matt Damon, and Jodie Comer. While the film has been a box office disappointment, earning just over $30 million on a budget of over $100 million, it has fared well with critics, with many praising Affleck's unique performance. In a similar vein, Affleck will be playing supporting character Uncle Charlie in The Tender Bar, a father figure to protagonist J.R., played by Ready Player One's Tye Sheridan.
In a new interview with THR, Affleck goes into more detail regarding why he's enjoying doing more supporting roles at this point in his career. What it comes down to, according to Affleck, is that lead roles typically have less flexibility in terms of characterization. The actor argues that, when there's tons of money on the line, protagonists have to be "relatable" to audiences. Supporting characters aren't put in these same boxes, says Affleck, and offer actors more room to explore complexities and "flaws." Check out Affleck's full comments below:
"When you’re the protagonist, you have to do this and you can’t do that and there’s a certain essential virtuousness that has to be present or people think, ‘Well, the audience will lose their ability to identify with this person, and then we’ll lose $100 million.’ That may be true in the case of $100 million, but I’ve found it more interesting and always have, actually, to play rich characters. The similarity, for me, is playing parts in films where I’m not the protagonist, whether it was Good Will Hunting, Shakespeare in Love, The Last Duel or [The Tender Bar] where I get to be somebody on the side who is allowed to be more complicated, flawed and interesting.”
The Tender Bar is yet to be officially released, but critics are already relatively mixed on the film. While many seem to have trouble getting behind the project as a whole, Affleck is frequently mentioned as being one of the best parts about The Tender Bar, suggesting that his new approach to smaller roles is paying off. Of course, although Affleck wants to explore more supporting characters, he still has starring appearances in several upcoming movies. Affleck will be leading in the currently unnamed sequel to 2016's The Accountant, and will also be appearing opposite Ana de Armas in Deep Water, an upcoming erotic thriller. Although he may not be done with leading roles, the Hollywood star has also previously stated that, other than Batman, he won't be appearing in any more IP-driven movies.
Although Affleck has a number of hit leading roles on his resume, he also has a number of infamous duds, including Daredevil, Man About Town, The Last Thing He Wanted, and Live By Night, among others. Affleck clearly still has the charisma and talent to play a leading man, but exploring more complicated characters and flexing his acting chops in new ways seems to be a more compelling option at this stage in his career; for both him as an actor, and for his audiences. Affleck's latest effort to steal the show in a secondary role will be on full display when The Tender Bar releases later this month.
Source: THR