Ben Affleck is clearing a few things up.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published overnight, he addressed controversy that followed comments he made in 2021 while speaking to Howard Stern about his past marriage to actress Jennifer Garner.
“I had a really painful experience where I did an interview where I was really vulnerable, and the entire pickup was something that was not only not right, it was actually the opposite of what I meant,” Affleck told the publication.
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The actor and director faced backlash after saying he felt “trapped” in the dynamic with Garner.
“It’s part of why I started drinking,” Affleck told Stern. “Because I was trapped.”
Affleck told The Hollywood Reporter he was not trying to blame Garner, who is the mother of his four children, for his drinking.
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“To be clear, my behaviour is my responsibility entirely,” he said.
“The point that I was trying to make was a sad one. Anyone who’s been through divorce makes that calculus of, How much do we try? We loved each other. We care about each other. We have respect for each other.
“I was trying to say, ‘Hey, look, I was drinking too much, and the less happy you become, whether it’s your job, your marriage, it’s just that as your life becomes more difficult, if you’re doing things to fill a hole that aren’t healthy, you’re going to start doing more of those things.'”
The couple eventually split in 2015.
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Affleck said he believes his quotes were “mischaracterised in order to make it clickbait” and “it didn’t matter how many times I said, ‘I do not feel this way. I’m telling you, I don’t blame my ex-wife for my alcoholism.'”
The actor also opened up about his new wife and their relationship.
Affleck and Jennifer Lopez reuinted nearly 20 years after they were first engaged and married in July 2022.
“[Lopez] tells me today, ‘Relax, be yourself. Have fun. You’re actually a fun guy who is real and genuine and you just seem so serious,'” Affleck told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Do I seem serious? But as in many things, she’s really right. And she loves me. She’s looking out for me. She’s trying to help me.”
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