Ben Affleck is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. He’s been a leading man in Hollywood for the last three decades, turning in countless classic performances — time and time again.
He’s an incredibly public figure, yet a lot remains unknown. Get to know the man behind the cowl and check out these 10+ things that fans didn’t know about Ben Affleck .
1. You probably watched Ben in your social studies class.
Do you remember learning about whales and Mayan civilization in school? Did you ever watch a series called The Voyage of the Mimi ?
Well, that was Ben’s breakthrough role! He played the part of C.T.
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2. His breakthrough movie role was in Richard Linklater’s cult classic, *Dazed And Confused*.
Ben plays the remedial aging school bully, O’Bannion . Dazed and Confused would also help launch the careers of Jason London, Milla Jovovich, as well as Matthew McConaughey.
3. Ben is best buds with Matt Damon.
They met as kids growing up in Massachussettes after Ben saved Matt from a bully.
As Matt recalled to Biography , Ben “tackled this dude off of me. Like, out of nowhere. I remember that was a big moment . Like, ‘This guy will put himself in a really bad spot for me.'”
The friends encouraged one another to pursue acting and as a result — they ended up winning an Oscar together.
Ben and Matt won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting in 1998.
The centers around a brilliant mathematical mind who denies his own genius — much to his own detriment.
4. He used to have a very close relationship with Kevin Smith.
Between the years 1995-2006, Kevin Smith and Ben Affleck made a total of six films together. Some of which (like Mallrats , and Chasing Amy ) are freaking brilliant!
Over the years, however, Ben and Kevin drifted apart. It got so bad that they weren’t even on speaking terms for a number of years.
5. Ben’s younger brother is also a prolific actor in Hollywood!
Casey Affleck has been slowly making name for himself over the past two decades, not unlike how his older brother broke into the business.
They’ve even appeared on-screen together in Good Will Hunting as well as in Chasing Amy .
6. He’s had a lifelong struggle with addiction
Ben attempted to explain his addiction in an interview with the New York Times :
“You’re trying to make yourself feel better with eating or drinking or sex or gambling or shopping or whatever. But that ends up making your life worse. Then you do more of it to make that discomfort go away. Then the real pain starts.”
7. Ben was once a part of the biggest celebrity couple on the planet.
Some of you Gen Z readers may be too young to remember this, but for those of us north of 30 — the word ‘ Bennifer ‘ should still send a shockwave of terror down your spine.
There’s actually J-Lo song written about him!
The track is called “Dear Ben” and it was written during the height of Bennifer’s tumultuous relationship.
The song may be the worst in J-Lo’s discography but it’s still not even half as bad as Gigli was.
8. Ben Affleck is a stage name.
Ben’s birth name is Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt . He was named after a Hungarian Holocaust survivor, who was a friend to Ben’s family.
His own family lineage is mostly English, Scottish, German, and Irish. A proverbial European melting pot.
10. Ben will once again play Batman/Bruce Wayne in the upcoming DCEU film, *The Flash*!
That’s right! Ben’s going to be breaking out the cape and cowl at least one more time.
According to director Andy Muschietti, “The interaction and relationship between Barry and Affleck’s Wayne will bring an emotional level that we haven’t seen before.”
11. Ben will always defend the Boston Red Sox.
Even when they get caught cheating red-handed!
I don’t have the time to get into it, but if you’re unfamiliar with the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal , you need to check it out.
12. He’s a vocal supporter of the #MeToo Movement.
Many of the films that Ben starred in at the beginning of his career were produced by Harvey Weinstein.
This didn’t sit well with the star, so Ben decided to donate all of his residual earnings from those Miramax films to charity.
13. Ben is also a director!
To date, Ben has directed four feature films. One of which, Argo , went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture !
I’m personally more partial to The Town . Jeremy Renner absolutely slays in that film.
14. He holds a superhero record!
As it stands, Ben is the only actor to have ever played both Superman and Batman on the big screen.
Everyone remembers him from BVS and Justice League but people forget that he also portrayed George Reeves (the first Superman) in Hollywoodland .
