Observant fans have noted that Ben Affleck often appears less than thrilled in many of his paparazzi photographs. The 52-year-old actor from California frequently seems to be in a foul mood in these images, and he recently offered an explanation for this during an appearance on Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast.
Affleck, known for his role in Gone Girl, discussed his distaste for certain aspects of Hollywood life.
“I don’t really like to do big social events or go out much,” Affleck explained. “I’m kind of shy, I don’t really like to be on camera,” he said, which might seem surprising given his multi-award-winning status as an actor.
However, he clarified that there is a distinction between performing in a movie and being caught off guard in his everyday life.
Regarding his often disgruntled appearance, The Accountant star chuckled but highlighted the unsettling tactics of paparazzi who “stage” events for financial gain, describing how they “follow” and “antagonize” celebrities to capture the perfect shot.
“It’s true,” Affleck agreed. “When someone’s taking a picture of me, I’m bummed because I’m usually with my kids, I’m trying to go somewhere,” he elaborated, mentioning how ‘every time’ during these personal moments, ‘four guys’ suddenly appear with cameras.
“And I’m like, ‘Hey man, can you give me some time? I’m trying to be with my kids. Do you mind?’ You know what I mean?”
He continued, “And then they go away and you go inside and you’re having a good time, but it’s this selective experience of taking a picture of somebody every time they’re feeling irritated – they’re going to look irritated.”
“They try to provoke you and then capture the reaction to make it seem like you’re always angry,” Affleck explained.
Affleck, a father of three, expressed empathy for Britney Spears, highlighting how the tabloids relentlessly pursued and provoked her.
He stated: “Having had my own experiences myself, I knew these people [were] following her around in a time where she may or may not have been having difficulty.”
“I don’t know, because I don’t know her, but I do know that the cycle of having people harangue and yell at you and hassle you and follow you – it kind of seemed like that itself was kind of whipping up the whole thing into a tizzy.”
“They’re essentially feeding the frenzy and then pointing at it,” he said.
Von criticized the culture, likening it to a real-life Black Mirror episode, and Affleck concurred, admitting that witnessing the treatment of the pop star opened his eyes for “the first time” to the “unintentional but collective cruelty” of the paparazzi industry.
On a personal level, Affleck expressed a desire to keep his private life shielded from public view, particularly when he is in casual attire and spending time with his family.
“As an actor, it’s no good for you because I don’t really want people, if they watch a movie, to be like, ‘That’s not him. Because I saw him yesterday at lunch and I know who he really is.’ It gets in the way of you being able to create the illusion,” he explained.
Despite being aware that fame comes with significant challenges, the two-time Golden Globes winner confessed that he would be ‘much happier’ if he were left in peace.