The role seemed to be a “fantasy” come true for Affleck—or at least, that’s what one of his daughters believed. “My daughter did read the movie and she was like, ‘Oh, great. You just walk around giving advice to kids, you know, I’m sure this is your fantasy,’” theactor laughed in an exclusive interview with Parade.com. “[It’s like], ‘Is that how I come off to you?’” Though he admits, “It’s sort of true.” “I’m verbal. I like to talk. Endlessly trying to impart these various lessons. Probably rushing to get the ‘No, but this and that and this is what this means’—I have to believe that even if they’re jaded, or they roll their eyes that it probably gets through somehow,” the filmmaker says. Affleck shares three children, Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9, with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner. Like uncle Charlie in the movie, the Argo star’s own father is very well-read, and it was important to him that his son understand that he did not have to be “wealthy or go to a rich school” in order to read good literature. Now as a father himself, Affleck “always” encourages his kids to read. “Their mom is great, you know, encouraging them to read and a great believer in early literacy and understands the value of that, and so it’s always been something that we both support and the real joy for me is coming as they get older and being able to share with them really more complicated, I mean, they’re reading very grown-up literature and talking to them about what they think and how they feel and how they write about it,” Affleck says. “I would rather do that than anything else in the world.” Continue reading to see what Affleck had to say about the holidays and his kids, along with what it was like being directed by Clooney in The Tender Bar, which will be released in theaters nationwide Dec. 22 and Prime Video Jan. 7…
George Clooney recently said in an interview that you don’t usually get these kinds of roles. What was it about Charlie that made you want to take on the role?
Well, you know, it’s interesting because I’ve had this conversation with George over the years about the way in which as you get older, the benefit, one of them, is that you get to play more interesting roles. People are willing to afford you sort of the credibility, or they credit you with a certain depth of experience in life, which allows them then to believe you in more complicated roles and there are more interesting roles written in a lot of ways for older characters because they’ve had more life experience. He talked to me quite a bit about the way in which he got the opportunity to play more interesting parts as he got older, and was always very confident that that would kind of arrive and I have to say it sort of has. He’s very smart about this sort of thing, like many things and so I mean, what was great about it was that the writing was spectacular, the part was lovely. It was a really poignant story about something that meant a lot to me and multiple things that mean a lot to me and the most important thing is really the director and I have a lot of respect for George and I wanted to work with him again.
You and George have had very similar career arcs, both established actors who became established directors. How did it feel to be directed by him?
It was great—in the same way, that working with him on Argo it made clear to me how well he understood movies and telling stories. As an actor, I was able to see how well he understood acting and the nuances of that because he’s done that job so much, and he has the capacity to communicate the way he does it, and to give you like, really specific, useful, smart notes, which is actually not as common as you would think. A lot of directors sort of talk in abstractions or aren’t exactly sure what they’re looking for. And look that’s part of your job, you’re the actor, you’re supposed to show up and make it interesting and make it good. But George is just the bonus director where he helps you make it better, and I give him all the credit in the world.
You’re an award-winning director. Did you learn anything from him?
Quite a bit. It sort of reinforced my understanding of the importance of the environment, the work environment that you create, and the effect that has on the work that you get out of people, both in terms of treating people kindly, supporting them, making them feel believed in and they’ll give you their best work. You know, if they’re inspired in that way, and they think you believe in them and also for actors in specific to create an atmosphere where it just doesn’t feel pressure. Where you can be relaxed. Where you feel like you can fail. You can try something [and] if it doesn’t work, no one’s gonna judge you because that’s where you get the best work, where people are willing to take a risk. Take a big swing. Try something different. And [it] doesn’t always work, but if it does, he’s gonna recognize it. He’s gonna use it and he’s not gonna use the stuff that doesn’t and there’s a tremendous safety in knowing that you’re protected in that way. Some directors you just think ‘I don’t know. I don’t know what they want. I don’t like,’ so I gotta kind of turtle in and protect my performance and that’s deadly.
What are the odds we’re going to be seeing you directing George next?
Uh, depends if I can afford him. You know what I’m saying. I don’t know if George is in the business of taking salary cuts, but if he is I would love to. I appreciate him even more as an actor having recognized how smart he is about the choices you make in a performance. It’s not just the ability to replicate emotions or to generate the emotions in yourself, or to live as another character in a believable way, but that you can also sort of intellectually choose one avenue or another to play the same scene both being equally real, but one is more interesting and will be more effective to the audience in terms of communicating the feeling that you’re trying to convey…. that was a lovely experience and I would be very lucky to work with him again in any capacity.
In the film, your character imparts wisdom to his nephew and teaches him about the “male sciences.” What pearls of wisdom did your father teach you that you’re now passing on to your own children?
You know, not unlike this character, actually, my father is extremely well-read, literate, also a bartender, also a guy with a sort of chip on his shoulder about the class system. Mattered to him a lot that, you know, I understand that you didn’t have to be wealthy or go to a rich school or be from a fancy family to use language well, to write well, to read good literature. And that was something that stayed with me and served me well my whole life.
With the holidays here, I have to ask, what are some family traditions that you’re looking forward to this year?
You know, our traditions look like the traditions of a lot of other families that celebrate Christmas. Christmas is a big holiday for the kids. It’s a beautiful, joyful holiday… the magic of coming downstairs and the presents under the tree and the stockings of the night before. Although I have some memories that aren’t great from my childhood, I do remember Christmas was always a [time], I intensely looked forward to a certain kind of magic to it. And my kids are getting a little old for that. My son’s nine, the youngest, so I think there’s still some magic in it for him. But I think even the residual magic, the memories of that, the tradition that you create, stays with them and I just can’t wait and just for Christmas Eve this year and being with them and waking up with them in the morning. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your children experience joy and wonder.
Is there a one-holiday movie that you guys have to rewatch every year?
Oh my god. My kids are not in a phase where they want my advice about movies. They’re into their own thing… They like my movies by and large if there’s an opportunity to tease me about them, but I love A Christmas Story. I think that’s a great movie, a great Christmas movie… It’s a Wonderful Life, obviously, the great Miracle on 34th Street, there are some extraordinary movies… And if you can capture it right, it is a magical time and it can be a lovely, lovely fodder for filming. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity Next, Good Will Hunting, Batman and Big Bucks: Ben Affleck’s Net Worth and How the Oscar Winner Earned It
