Ben Affleck On Accepting the Role of Batman

By Reggie's Take on August 14, 2014

Ben Affleck recently sat down during a break in filming of “Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice” and talked about accepting the role, to his thoughts about the passionate fans and their reactions to him playing the cape crusader.

Ben Affleck since being named to the role of Batman for Zack Snyders follow up to Man of Steel has had some fans crying fowl and condemning the film before it ever went into production. Affleck even earned the nick name “Batfleck” from some of those fans.

Mr. Affleck sat down with Entertainment Weekly and answered some questions about his casting, Batman and the fans.

Source Entertainment Weekly

EW: So what it’s like to portray Batman?

Ben Affleck:
“I’m right in the middle of shooting now. It’s a process that I’ll probably have better perspective on when I’m done. I can tell you that every time I do a role, it’s the responsibility of an actor to get their physical self as close to the role as possible. And Batman’s obviously got a set of expectations that are tough. So I spent a lot of time working out. And it’s a far cry from Gone Girl where my character is described as “puffy and hungover.” I want you to know I worked equally hard at both!”

EW: It feels slightly ridiculous using the word “outcry” describing your casting. But there was actual outcry—a lot of people freaked when they heard about Batfleck. To what extent did all that get under your skin?

Ben Affleck:
“Before I took the role, Warner Bros. gave me a bunch of past reactions to casting and said, “Are you sure you want to get into this? This is part and parcel of these movies now. There’s a lot of active fans with a lot of opinions.” To me, having been through a certain amount of that, it doesn’t really… Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I wouldn’t have taken the part if I didn’t trust my instincts in terms of the filmmaking. I think Chris Terrio wrote a terrific script. Zack’s a great visual director. And there’s an interesting take. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think I could do it. I have the benefit of a lot of that understanding. But also, everyone is entitled to their opinion.”

EW: Fans feel like their vote counts.

Ben Affleck:
“You know what? It’s great that people do care that much. They want to see the movie that much. And it is incumbent on you to honor the story. There are the Greek myths and these are the American myths. The American myths are these superheroes. People care about ‘em a lot. And it’s incumbent on you to do a good job and make it as excellent as you possibly can. At the end of the day, the movie’s all that matters.”

After reading what Mr. Affleck had to say do you feel he’s right for the role? Should someone else had been cast? Or, will you wait and reserve judgement until after you’ve seen the movie?

Let us here at Reggie’s Take know what your thoughts are, we would love to know.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25, 2016