Ben Affleck Reflects on His Time Playing Batman and Explains "There’s a Double-Edged Sword"
Ben Affleck actually made a pretty badass Batman in the DCEU. I enjoyed him in the role, and you’ll get to see him in action as The Dark Knight one final time in DC’s The Flash movie. While we wait for that movie to be released, the actor recently talked about his experience taking on the role of Batman in Zack Snyder’s DC movie universe.
During Zack Snyder’s Justice League panel, Affleck discussed the long legacy that comes with bringing the character of Batman to life saying:
“This part is a unique part because so many excellent actors have played it and filmmakers have done it and the mythology extends all the way down through decades after decades, from the Adam West TV series and the cartoons and stuff on up to the really amazing films and art about it. So it’s much more daunting, in a way. Because anything else you do, if you’re doing it for the first time, there’s nothing else to hold you up against, compare you to … no expectations. You have the liberty of just going out there and defining it, for better or for worse.
Affleck went on to talk about the double-edged sword of his time as Batman and how Snyder’s direction made for a good atmosphere for him to tackle the daunting role:
“There’s a double-edged sword with a time like this because you have a lot of tailwind and people have a lot of goodwill and enthusiasm around these characters that have existed in our culture for a long time, but also, they have a lot of expectations. So I definitely spent a lot of time thinking about it and angsting about it, but all the performances that I ended up being able to sleep at night around … Zack creates an extremely comfortable, fluid atmosphere. For me, as a director, that’s the most important thing that I try to do.”
Affleck had a good run as Batman, and I wish that he would have actually made his Batman solo film. But, DC is moving on, with James Gunn and Peter Safran leading the charge. I’m excited to see what comes of that, Affleck did bring something new and unique to the character that a lot of fans loved.