Academy Award-winning actor Ben Affleck has openly talked about his experience with alcohol and how difficult it was playing Batman for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Justice League, and The Flash.
Ben Affleck recently spoke about his appreciation for some parts of his career as the Caped Crusader.
"I adored Batman v Superman. And I enjoyed my short time on The Flash, and working for a day or two with Viola Davis on Suicide Squad," he said of GQ, according to Deadline.
Affleck was especially excited about the plan for an older, broken, and battered Bruce Wayne, which he adopted in Batman v Superman.
Justice League was another story altogether.
"I definitely wouldn't want to repeat an experience like that," he conceded, attributing a mismatch of expectations, agendas, and comprehension on set.
A Dark Time and Alcohol Problems
At the time, Affleck was experiencing personal issues, including a collapsing marriage and growing alcohol use. In a 2020 interview with The New York Times, he admitted:
"I drank pretty normally for a pretty long time. But I began to drink more when my marriage was breaking down."
His alcohol use increased on Justice League, with Affleck acknowledging he drank a lot in his hotel room by himself.
"You're attempting to console yourself—by eating, drinking, sex, gambling, shopping—whatever. But it makes your life worse. Then you do it again in order to get away from the discomfort, entering into a cycle of self-destruction."
He now reflects back on that time with introspection, not only on how he performed but on his mental state when working.
"Still, I wasn't bringing a lot of good vibes to the set. I didn't make trouble, but I just went to work and left. But you need to do better than that," he acknowledged.
Walking Away from The Batman
Affleck eventually walked away from playing The Batman, which was ultimately filled by Robert Pattinson.
"I took someone The Batman script, and they said, 'I think the script is great, but I also think you're going to drink yourself to death if you do what you just did again,'" he remembered.
Now, Affleck has been sober for more than five years and credits recovery with having a positive impact on his work, especially in The Way Back, in which he portrayed a struggling alcoholic basketball coach.
"I knew with The Way Back that others were aware of my recovery, and I'd have to discuss it. I didn't object, but I never intended to be a national representative for recovering alcoholics," he said.
Even with his troubled history, Affleck is intent on his Hollywood future, insisting that sobriety is no longer the dominant concern of his life.
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