Ben Affleck is one of Hollywood’s most well-known faces with a string of successful movies to his name. But everyone has to start somewhere, and before his rise to stardom Affleck was yet another aspiring actor looking for a breakthrough.
There came a time, however, when another less successful actor might have tried to sway Affleck’s resolve for the business.
Matt Damon helped Ben Affleck take acting a little more seriously
As is the case with many actors, Affleck more or less fell into acting as a child. He already knew someone with a few connections back then, which would give him early but limited access to the entertainment industry.
“A friend of my mom’s was a casting director so, really as kind of a lark, I had a couple of acting jobs that had just enough exposure to give me the option to continue if I wanted to,” Affeck once said in an interview with Parade. “I followed through with it. Then, basically, came the next stage—should I continue to act or not?”
Affleck’s passion was further fueled after meeting his childhood friend Damon. As luck would have it, Damon had the same interest in acting as Affleck did. After discovering this, acting no longer became a career the star had to pursue alone.
“As a teenager, the natural thing is to have friends who have common interests and so you fit together seamlessly,” Affleck added. “Before Matt, I was by myself. Acting was a solo activity where I’d just go off and do something, act in a little TV show or something, and no one understood it. None of the other kids knew what it was I did, how it worked, or anything. All of a sudden I had this friend, Matt, and he gets it and wants to do it and thinks it’s interesting and wants to talk about it. Soon both of us are doing it.”
Ben Affleck was forced to have dinner with a failed actor who had horrible stories about the film industry
Affleck was always determined to make it in the film industry. But during his teenage years, Affleck might have had his own determination briefly tested after a conversation with another actor. It was a meeting set up by his parents to remind Affleck of the obstacles their son could potentially face pursuing his dream.
But despite the actor’s dire warnings about Hollywood, it only had the opposite effect on a young Affleck.
“When I was 17 my parents made me go out to dinner with a really bitter failed actor and listen to his experiences,” he once said in an interview with Daily Mail. “It was a very difficult thing to go through. He had nothing but bad things to say about trying to be an actor and I thought, ‘Well, I have to love it even if I don’t have success at all. It has to really be that important to me and I have to want to do it that much.’”
Ben Affleck was fine with the possibility of experiencing his own failures again
Although Affleck has led an extremely accomplished career, he’s also experienced his fair share of setbacks. The early 2000s were particularly unkind to the Batman v Superman star. Apart from being the constant target of Hollywood gossip and scandals, he found himself starring in a string of unsuccessful projects.
This would lead to Affleck taking a break in the film industry before returning and revitalizing his career. Tabloid attention died down considerably after his comeback. He also involved himself in several quality films like The Town, Argo, and Gone Girl that helped rehabilitate his career. At the height of his resurgence, Affleck recognized how fleeting his success could be. But he was even more prepared to tackle any potential future setbacks head on.
“Right now I’m a success again but I’ll be a failure again too, and that’s ok,” Affleck said. “Failure is just a function of risk. I look at my great heroes as actors and directors and none of them have perfect records. I imagine I will have an even more imperfect record. I think you have to still be brave enough to take risks. Today I am enjoying the success. Being number one at the box office is pretty cool. But I’ve been around the block enough times to know it won’t last forever.”
