Ben Affleck: ‘I was miserable and drinking too much on Justice League’

16 March 2023

Ben Affleck was “miserable” as he was drinking “too much” while shooting ‘Justice League’.

Ben Affleck was ‘miserable’ as he was drinking ‘too much’ while shooting ‘Justice League’

The 50-year-old ‘Gone Girl’ actor revealed in 2017 he had rehab treatment for his alcohol addiction, a year after director Zack Snyder’s DC superhero flick, in which he played Batman, was released.

He told The Hollywood Reporter about working on the film leaving a “monstrous taste” in his mouth: “(‘Justice League’) made me go, ‘I’m out. I never want to do any of this again. I’m not suited.’

“That was the worst experience I’ve ever seen in a business which is full of some s***** experiences. It broke my heart.”

The film was plagued by difficulties and dram, and dogged by constant rewrites and reshoots with Joss Whedon after the film’s original Zack, 57, left the project after his daughter Autumn took her life aged 2020 in 2017.

Dad-of-three Ben – who had children Violet, 17, Samuel, 11, and Seraphina, 14, with his 50-year-old ‘Pearl Harbor’ actress ex-wife Jennifer Garner – added about the challenges: “There was an idea of someone (Joss) coming in, like, ‘I’ll rescue you and we’ll do 60 days of shooting and I’ll write a whole thing around what you have. I’ve got the secret.’ And it wasn’t the secret. That was hard.

“And I started to drink too much. I was back at the hotel in London, it was either that or jump out the window.

“And I just thought, ‘This isn’t the life I want. My kids aren’t here. I’m miserable.’”

Ben also branded playing Batman unsatisfying as it left him “sweaty” and “exhausted”.

The actor, who married his former love Jennifer Lopez, 52, last year, added his struggles with drinking have unintentionally made him a “poster boy for actor alcoholism and recovery”.

He also said he has turned down chances to direct big-budget projects and take huge roles so he can stay at home with his family.

Ben added: “These years are too important. If I miss them, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.

“And then I thought, ‘OK, well, if I’m in Los Angeles and I’m in an office and I’m doing this work, I can step out for the basketball game or the jazz performance.’ So I protect those things.”