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Ben Affleck has never hidden his feelings about certain rough chapters of his career. Although his version of Batman earned a devoted fan base, the actor has admitted that working in the DC Extended Universe eventually left him exhausted and frustrated. The worst? It made him question whether he still enjoyed making movies at all.
That outlook only changed when he reunited with his longtime friend Matt Damon to work on the 2021 action-thriller ‘The Last Duel.’ Damon reminded him why he became an actor in the first place. The fresh perspective ultimately reshaped how he chooses projects and convinced him to leave one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises behind.
Reunion With Matt Damon Changed Ben Affleck’s Perspective
Reflecting on his career during a 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Affleck admitted he reached a point where filmmaking no longer felt enjoyable. “I wasn’t happy. I didn’t like being there. And some really awful things happened,” he said.
The actor was referring to the difficult period surrounding his time in the DC Extended Universe. Thankfully, everything changed when he reunited with Damon to write and star in Ridley Scott’s ‘The Last Duel.’
It marked the first screenplay the childhood friends wrote together since their Oscar-winning movie ‘Good Will Hunting.’ Unlike his previous experience, the production reminded Affleck of what he had been missing. “Then I did The Last Duel with Matt, and I had fun every day,” he said.
Working alongside the ‘Oppenheimer‘ actor again shifted his priorities. Instead of focusing on the scale of a project or the expectations surrounding it, Affleck began to consider whether he genuinely wanted to spend months making that particular film.
Affleck Decided To Stop Chasing Projects That Made Him Miserable
Affleck has openly described the troubled production of ‘Justice League’ as one of the most difficult experiences of his career. Between major behind-the-scenes changes and personal struggles off-camera, he realized he no longer wanted to continue working in environments that left him unhappy.
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That realization played a major role in his decision to step away from directing and starring in a standalone Batman film. Rather than continue with a project he no longer felt passionate about, Affleck chose to move in a different direction.
Meanwhile, filmmaker Matt Reeves developed a new version of the character, with Robert Pattinson playing Bruce Wayne. The experience also influenced Affleck’s broader philosophy toward filmmaking. “I want to do things that bring me joy,” he explained, describing the mindset that now guides his career.
That approach eventually extended beyond acting. Affleck and Damon later founded Artists Equity, a production company built around giving filmmakers and crew members a greater share of a project’s success while allowing the pair to focus on stories they genuinely want to tell.
For Affleck, reuniting with Damon didn’t simply lead to another movie. It reminded him that enjoying the creative process mattered just as much as the finished product, and that realization helped steer the next phase of his career.
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