Ben Affleck is an award-winning actor who won two Academy Awards, two BAFTA awards, and three Golden Globes. He started his career as a child, in a film called The Voyage of the Mimi. He then actively got into comedies, including a well-known comedy by Kevin Smith called Chasing Amy.
Career
After his initial child success at The Voyage of the Mimi, a grownup Affleck co-wrote and starred in a film called Good Will Hunting, which turned out to be a success. But his true commercial success came in 1998, due to the film Armageddon.
Affleck is not just an actor but also a film director. He first directed a film Gone Baby Gone in 2007. Later, he co-directed and starred in Argo, for which he won the Academy Award for the best picture. Following his initial success, Affleck starred in Pearl Harbour in 2001. His acting then received mixed reviews, but Pearl Harbour remained popular with film critics.
Affleck is famous for playing Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and producing several successful films such as The Town and Manchester by the Sea.
The critics have described Affleck’s portrayal of Batman as mature and seasoned. Affleck conveyed the difficult story of Batman well, as the character turned out to be more complex, a bit dark, and brooding. Affleck had to train hard for the role, and as a result, the character’s physique has been described as strong and imposing, as several critiques have highlighted the physicality of the character.
This wasn’t Affleck’s only Batman role. In 2017, he played Batman again in Justice League. In this film, Batman is portrayed as less dark, and more as a figure that brings other characters together to combat the great evil. The film received mixed reviews, however, Affleck’s acting was generally well-regarded.
Interestingly, Ben Affleck wanted to direct and star in a film exclusively featuring Batman. However, the film didn’t turn out as Affleck intended – instead of directing and starring in it, the people chosen to participate in the film were Robert Pattison as starring as Batman and Matt Reeves as a director.
Personal Life
Affleck was born in Berkeley, California. His mother was a school teacher and his father was a playwright, but not a famous one. Soon after his birth, his family moved to Massachusetts, where he attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Interestingly, his younger brother, Casey Affleck, also became a famous actor. Affleck was a lifelong friend of Matt Damon, also a famous American actor who happened to grow up two blocks apart from Affleck.
In 2005, Affleck married Jennifer Garner, an American actress, with whom he had three children. The couple divorced in 2018. Before marrying Garner, Ben Affleck dated Jennifer Lopez, with whom he rekindled his relationship three years after his divorce.
Affleck speaks some Spanish which he learned for one of the films, and he is also known for his political views and social activism. He co-founded the Eastern Congo Initiative, a grantmaking and advocacy charity focused on Africa.
Gambling
Ben Affleck highlights that he is an avid gambler. The media has recently reported that he was even banned from playing blackjack in a casino due to his brilliant performance. Affleck is modest when he shares his gambling skills, saying that it took him some time to learn how to play blackjack and become a decent gambler. Once he became ‘decent’, as he calls himself, several casinos have asked him not to play blackjack with them. In fact, Affleck was so ‘decent’ that he won the California State Poker Championship in 2004.
This didn’t stop Affleck’s interest in gambling, thanks to the availability of online gambling options, such as the Bovada gambling website and similar digital casino providers. These platforms offer the very same casino games, be it blackjack, poker, or slots, as brick-and-mortar casinos do. However, they do so with the help of human live dealers, streaming the in-person casino experience to people’s mobile and desktop devices.
Given that, Affleck indulges in online gambling, as in-person casino experiences made him critical of the US’s gambling scene, especially in Las Vegas. He expressed that physical casinos don’t want to give you a betting chance, but contrary to the media reports, he hasn’t been fully banned – he was just asked not to play blackjack. And blackjack happens to be both Affleck’s most favorite and most skilled game.
Other Hobbies
Besides gambling, Affleck has several hobbies such as philanthropy and sports. Eastern Congo Initiative was Affleck’s flagship philanthropic initiative, but he is involved in a variety of projects. Notably, he supports the Democratic party and identifies as liberal. He is an avid fan of Boston’s Red Sox and Patriots. He enjoys riding motorcycles and he has been seen in several high-profile motorcycle competitions.
Ben Affleck enjoys writing not just for films but also for other types of writing, mostly for himself as a hobby, rather than a public venture. He is a good cook and enjoys cooking a variety of cuisines in his free time.
