Do you guys watch Intervention on A&E? While the lead-up to rehab is usually so hard to watch, it’s worth it to see how different the alcoholics/addicts look after being clean for over a month. The people don’t always make it through rehab of course, but it’s inspiring to see the transformations when of the people who get sober. That’s what I’m reminded of when I see these photos of Ben Affleck at the AutFest International Film Festival. He looks like his head is clear and he’s regained some of the hotness. Plus he looks happier for whatever reason, maybe it’s sobriety, it could be that his divorce is moving forward, maybe it’s a little of both.
Anyway this was a film festival sponsored by the Autism Society, where Affleck was honored for his portrayal of a autistic man in The Accountant. During the Q&A session he was asked whether he would want his kids to go into show business and said he didn’t want them to act before they’re 18 due to the pitfalls of being a child actor. As for his longevity in show business, Affleck credited it to his thick skin, which… no.
The star chatted about his kids during a Q&A portion of the event, which honored him for his performance in last fall’s thriller The Accountant as an action hero with autism. Affleck noted that he’s unsure whether he’d want his little ones to take up acting.
“I think it’s a hard thing. I love being an actor, I got into it as a child and I wouldn’t change that. But I also wouldn’t want to take my kids and push them out there before they were 18,” Affleck said. “If they are 18 and they want to make those choices and do that kind of thing, that’s fine. But being a child actor, I just know too much of the downside of what that can be like.”
He added: “I had some great rewards, and I probably wouldn’t have made it as an adult had I not built up that body of work as a kid, so it’s a strange thing. My kids would be good in the school play. If they can handle that, they’re in good shape.”
As for how he’s survived so long in the movie industry, Affleck credited his “thick skin.”
“You know you have to have a certain thickness of skin in this business because success and failure, as a performer, are really two sides of the same coin,” he said.
“You’re putting yourself out there and being evaluated, and it doesn’t go one way, all the way, every time.”
Affleck appeared upbeat at the event, and a source previously told PEOPLE that both he and Garner seemed “happy” about spending Easter Sunday together as a family recently.
This is the guy who had a PBS genealogy show censor the fact that he had a slave-owning ancestor. This is the guy who complained about for years about the way the tabloids treated him, even getting his friends to complain about it. He doesn’t have a thick skin. His people have worked overtime to control the narrative around his separation and divorce for years. That’s not someone with a thick skin, that’s someone who thinks they can take criticism while doing everything they can to deflect it.
photos credit: WENN, Getty and FameFlynet
People have been talking about his face for a while now, but it’s the first time I actually see it. WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THOSE CHEEKS? He used to have such a chiselled jawline… Is it only alcohol and old age?
I was wondering about his hands. What is all over them?
Whoah…. that’s not pretty either!
Yes! Noticed that too!
Those marks on the back of his hand look like old track marks actually. I don’t think he looks “well” after a month sober at all. Looks oddly glassy eyed to me.
It kind of looks like he burned himself. I wonder if he self harmed by using his cigarettes because those marks look circular.
Yeah I noticed those too.
Alcohol can make your blood thinner, impacting the clotting and healing, but so do tons of other medications. He could be anxiety picking too
cigarette burns
The angry open wound on his right hand looks like an injury of some kind. The marks on his left hand look old/partially healed. I don’t think they’re burns, healing burns don’t look like that. I don’t know what they are. As hard of a drinker as he is, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had major liver problems or something even at his age.
I don’t think he looks healthier at all. He looks very bloated and scruffy.
Some of the marks on his hands are probably from boxing and/or hitting hard objects without gloves or wraps. The circular lesions on his left hand could be healing burns marks or other hyperpigmented lesions from skin trauma. They could also be age or “liver” spots, though those are usually not perfectly round – they are more patch like in shape.
I’m a physician assistant, so that’s my two cents. It’s notoriously hard to diagnosis skin lesions without looking at them first hand, however.
On another note, in my first career I worked in movies in Boston. I was on Good Will Hunting and thought it was a great set, with incredibly nice actors (especially Matt Damon) – with the exception of Affleck. He was a total and complete asshole and was essentially a nobody (despite his assertion of this great body of work he did as a kid). I can’t imagine what kind of prick he is now.
I don’t understand how all actors don’t have thick skin. It’s the main thing to have in the bussiness.
All I could think of when reading this article was Tobias Fünke in Arrested Development, saying “But in this business of show, you have to have the heart of an angel and the hide of an elephant.” And then crying in the shower.
@ THE OTHER KATHERINE- You made my day, thanks for the belly laugh I sure needed. Tobias Funke (can’t do umlauts on my cellie) always restores my will to live 😜
Ugh he is so entitled. His attitude is ” I can’t believe that people have criticized me for things I have done.”
He does not look good here. Very bloated and puffy looking. Water retention? He’s probably medicated. He looks off.
+1, he looks unhealthy and so shiny. ITA on meds. And he needs new clothes, his suit is way too tight.
I notice this on a lot of big guys. The Rock’s suits are always too tight for him as well.
Well, I read it as his thick skin comment applies more to the fact that actors get turned down for roles constantly (more often than they win them, actually), and you have to have thick skin for that. He’s an actual celebrity so he has to deal with tabloids and other stuff but all actors have to deal with rejection (more than most of us, probably).
Wow
He looks terrible. What is happening to him?
One Miss Taylor Swift would disagree.
If you watch the QA, after the thick skin comment, the interviewer asks his, how it is he does not have a wrinkle – to which he says – Botox. I wonder why there was no pick up on that line. I found it refreshingly honest – for Ben.
Wow, great catch Jenfan! I think not many men or women in showbiz have admitted it to use it, so clearly and frankly.
Do you have a link to the Q&A?
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=696754683860784&id=694781174058135&ref=content_filter
I’m shocked that he admitted it. He needs to stop, though. He doesn’t even look like himself anymore. Even pics from a few years ago… it’s so sad.
Same, shocked that he copped to it. What’s next? Does Duckface Garner finally admit that her upper lip isn’t real? I suppose it’s harder for her since she’s on the record claiming that it’s all natural (lol!). Yes, just like her boobs and Ben’s hair. 100% real.
So why is this not making any headlines?
The truth will set you free:). And for him this is the least damaging truth. What did Jen say in her VF interview – ” he is still the only one who knows his truths and I am the only one who knows some of his truths”
It seems like an oversight by the blogs. “Batman uses Botox” seems like the juicy sort of thing they’d enjoy printing. Maybe everyone is just sick to death of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner stories in general? I didn’t watch his Q&A and I’m not going to — I’ll take your word for it. I’ll post on sites like this to pass the time at work but I’m so tired of hearing about Ben, Jen, their divorce, their co-parenting, and his problems. It’s been constant and endless for a little under two years now.
Apart from looking bloated and having Kris Kringle cheeks, he wears dress clothes that are too tight. Time to size up, Ben!
Not directly related with this article but over the weekend I’ve been with people in showbiz, and one noticed that Affleck never worked with Garner in none of his films as director, as an odd thing among Hollywood couples. I wouldn’t go as far as wanting him to take her as his “muse” Jennifer doesn’t have that kind of talent, but he never even put her on a supporting role in his movies. That’s weird and worth mentioning. He’s on his way to yet another reinvention of his image after the divorce and the failure of Live By Night. Many think that this rebirth form the ashes (his nasty new tattoo!!!) is what turns him on: the reinvention of a new, better, more respected Ben Affleck. Connecting this to the bit about never have working with his wife makes me thing he kind of looked down on Jennifer and he probably think he needs a woman who could inspire him and challenge him, on a artistic level, that Jennifer with her “girl next door” perfect cake-baker mom vibe and limited talent as an actress does not. I think hie new woman will be a talented actress, with industry credit and respect.
I think not working together in movies was a deliberate parenting choice. They had a child from the get go – Jen has been quoted in interviews saying the kids were not old enough, for them both to be working on a movie at the same time, due to the long absences from home. (Days are very long even if shot in LA). She also famously said in a jimmy Fallon interview I believe that she basically would rather be married to him than be directed by him. Well since their such “great friends” and now they won’t be married – maybe she can star in his next film – i think there is an audience that would see it for that reason alone. Also, I don’t think he looks down at her as an actress – if you look back to 2003 he really praised her in daredevil . And on his latest or tours he speaks very positively about her talent etc. I honestly don’t think that was one of the problems.
Mannori – He hooked up with his kids’ nanny, do you really think he has standards? He didn’t want Jen working anyway, he rather have her at home taking care of his kids while he slept with his co-stars, gambled and drank with his buddies. Ben does not have a great track record of treating the women in his life well, he cheated on Gwynneth, JLo and Jen, that’s a fact. Why would he want to be in another high profile relationship with another actress, talented or otherwise, put her in his movie and suffer Gigli 2.0? And then when he gets caught cheating on her he’s embroiled in another scandal, You’re being ridiculous!!
he denies the obvious…the regret is killing him.
Is that why Damon and Affleck use their name recognition to kill any negative press. Ie Casey Affleck, they tried with Effie Brown and a freakin PBS doc
He does look rumpled, heavy-set and very sweaty in these and in other recent pics. The marks on his hands – liver spots? at his age no, the only other explanation would be burns or cuts of some kind. But oddly, he exudes a general overall air of contentment since returning from rehab. Hard to put a finger on it, but he seems happier, his smile reaches his eyes now.
I wonder if he’s on meds and it’s causing him some weight gain and other side effects. Anti-depressants can cause this. Either way am still rooting for him, if only to continue to be present for his kids and keep them happy.
Me too. Medication to support liver function – often prescribed for alcoholics- can also cause weight gain, but it’s speculation.
In the photos of him on the street and such he does generally look happier. But the pics coming out of this event have made me a little sad. His suit is definitely too tight. He is visibly uncomfortable. As he was walking off stage after the Q&A with his shirt tail showing underneath his jacket….I got a little catch in my throat because he seems just so stiff. His posture and gait were off. It is like a terrible catch-22. He really needs to get back to work. I know he wants to be with his kids and he enjoys it (somewhat) but this is not good for him at all. But he is clearly not ready or maybe not even well enough to really get back into work.
Oh, Ben! Get yourself together. We need you back!
I’m not sure if getting back to work would help. Ben has mentioned a few times that Jennifer thinks working is ‘good’ for him but, after the initial separation, he threw himself into work and it culminated with him having to pull out of directing the Batman film before checking into rehab. I’m not saying rehab was because he was pushing himself too hard but the hard work clearly didn’t keep him on the straight and narrow either.
@A It’s pretty clear that you’re a huge Jen fan (no offense) but I’m going to have to say this: I don’t think Jen actually knows what’s best for him. I know her fans like to think that she saved him or something, but the dude has been a mess behind the scenes for a long time. He was a mess when they got together and he’s a mess to this day. All she really did was put on a happy face, tell her family-friendly anecdotes about how they’re all so normal, pretend that things were fine and give him good PR. She didn’t actually fix him or change him at all.
Pure speculation but I think she figured out long ago that when Ben works, he’s less likely to get bored or have time to drink or gamble or do drugs. As long as he’s busy and focused he can reasonably avoid that stuff (maybe that was true then but not since Gone Girl). However the trade off is that he’s not at home with her and the kids when he’s off working so much and he’s probably going to cheat on her. So she turned the cheek to the cheating as long as he stayed sober and didn’t publicly embarrass her. However this is extremely unhealthy and unbalanced behavior in a relationship. I think she’s been basically enabling him for years, threatening things and issuing ultimatums to get him to temporarily straighten up. It just doesn’t work anymore. The boy who cried wolf, or in this case, the wife who cried divorce. YMMV.
@suzanne – that was exactly my point, that maybe Jennifer’s advice wasn’t on the money in this case.
It is my belief that if you’re a healthy person then “working” is good for you. If you are unhealthy then “working” will only make you worse. I think this is what happened to him. Things had not been good at home for some time and he was able to keep himself somewhat together by staying busy. But once things began to unravel it did so very quickly and got out of control. So, yes, in one respect, I agree with Suzanne about him needing to stay busy. But I feel like there was much more manipulation coming from her which pushed him farther and farther than we know about. He was so far gone that private threats stopped working, ratchet it up to public threats and humiliation and boom. I think he was as happy as he could be for a time but ultimately I think she hurt him more than helped. As the adage goes, “Hurt people hurt people”.
He is still vulnerable and I’m not sure how to interpret his appearance.
He looks better (for him) in those black t-shirt pics as well as the Easter Sunday pap stroll pics. He doesn’t look good here. He looks overheated and sweaty and red-faced. His clothes are way too small. The top button of his shirt isn’t even done. He needs to lose about 20lbs, not worry about getting Botox and other fillers. He’s so gross now. His looks are totally shot.
I think he looks kind of ill. So much so that I am now wondering if Lainey’s blind from awhile ago was true (about using heroin). Maybe that also explains why Jen held off on the divorce for so long. Maybe she was legitimately worried about him and didn’t want to add to his stress while trying to finish rehab. That would make a lot of things make sense.
Lainey did imply that he abused heroin. I don’t know, that’s CRAZY though. I’d never let him around the kids unsupervised ever again if that were the case. He for sure abuses alcohol and probably cocaine. I think he abused pain meds when he hurt himself skiing (and Batman v Superman filming had to be delayed as a result). Putting everything together he is clearly an alcoholic as well as a drug addict. Plus the gambling addiction as well. Insane. His response to how he’s survived in the industry should have been: good handlers/PR and a willing Doormat wife to cover up everything in the press and make him look good.
“good handlers/PR and a willing Doormat wife to cover up everything in the press and make him look good.”
Spot on!
He does not look clean to me at all. Addiction is a hell hole that can’t be fixed in a month of rehab. The man needs some real help and time away.
He didnt “finish” rehab anyway, so that was moot. Two weeks for all his addictions? Total joke.
I thought he looked the best around Easter. Since then he has looked sick again. Maybe the rehab is taking its toll. I still think the tabloids are sitting on a big story – hence the radio silence. They are really pushing that Jennifer wants to start dating – when TMZ confirmed that he is in fact dating someone. That story has really quieted down. The paps that follow him know who it is – they are just not reporting it yet. I would not be surprised if it is the nanny. I can’t imagine how he could face his family or sell it to the public but who knows? I would think someone going through rehab, a divorce, and a return to work would be stressed enough without the hassle of a media circus.
@tina I doubt it’s the nanny. I think she lives in the Bahamas but she went underground after her check from the Garner-Affleck accounts cleared, so who knows? I saw new pics of Jen doing the school run. I wonder if she ever gets sick of doing literally everything herself. Ben is no help, you can tell. Ah well. She should have known better.
The nanny is in NYC working for one of the networks, per a Twitter.
Saw twitter traffic suggesting he is seeing the Nanny in NY and that she works for ET there. He was with her recently there.
maybe he like to get S&M and bondage?
I do think that celebs and actors have to deal with a raft of stresses that civilians don’t worry about. However, I cringe everytime one of them tries to get public empathy for it. It doesn’t work.
He wore this suit to The Accountant premiere but he’s put on weight since then. Doesn’t fit him anymore. It was like 80 degrees + in that area that day so I’m not sure what he was thinking by wearing that. His eyes look clear though, and he appears to be happy. Needs to either lose the weight or buy bigger suits.
I decided to look back through pics to determine the last time he ~genuinely looked like himself. No bloating, no weight gain, no weird frozen puffy face — September 2015 and that’s the very latest. His head is so f-cking FAT these days, it’s unbelievable. For every pound he gains, at least half of it settles above his neck. He needs to put down the booze and Botox needles and get serious. Five minutes in rehab isn’t going to be enough for all his problems.
He looks more comfortable in his own skin in recent photos. Rooting for him.
Is anyone else really tired of him, her, them, this? Almost every day, it’s something else. A new set of pap stroll pics, a new rumor, etc. I have noticed that since the filing, the “top tier” rags haven’t really posted about them as much. They need to change the tune of the narrative, IMO. Take their new dating partners public, give Variety’s Dirt Ben’s new house so we can all see. Something different. Bloated Ben and Pap Stroll Jen are so tired.
Gossip Cop doesn’t really report on them as much these last two weeks. They denied a couple of Jen stories but otherwise since they filed, nothing. And there have been stories out there they could be shooting down if untrue, especially about Ben. Like Jen allegedly being upset that he only did two weeks in rehab. Or her allegedly waiting to file because he was in rehab, both are dating others, stuff like that. Radio silence.
Two weeks?!? This will not end well. What a mess.
He looks bloated (from alcohol and god knows what else. Blow?) and lime his botox or fillers are wearing off/dropping. He USED to be hot. Now hes just an angry, old, entitled fat guy. #nothanks
this man is a fool bad actor bad husband and bad father he is sleeping witn the nanny of hes children it is horrible
2 years? She’s been covering for him for 10+ and really, continues to cover for him now. Pretty much everyone else would have drawn a line in the sand years ago but hey, her eyes were open and she signed up for this, right? (Did the innocent young kids sign up for it, though?) She needs to kick his drunk ass out of the house if he hasn’t left already and start a better life with a better man.
I have said this before and will say it again. I see Jennifer around town from time to time as we live near each other Most recently last Friday afternoon passed her on the street as she was picking her kids up from school. She looks so much better than her pics, she is really pretty and (from a few random encounters) a sweet women.
Ben had some puncture marks on his left hand at the Oscars — you can see them in one of the pics. I assumed they were from his drug and alcohol detox. When someone experiences severe withdrawal, they lose a lot of fluid due to vomiting, sweating, etc. They get IVs for fluid replacement. The bruises don’t look new to me, they could be from his last detox. Who knows. I’m sure he’ll have to detox again at some point. I just don’t ever see him getting to a place (like Casey and his father) where he is 100% committed to sobriety. I almost think that he doesn’t have the constitution for it. He’ll always struggle and he’ll always be surrounded by people who make excuse after excuse for him. I’m not trying to judge her actions but I think Jen issued so many ultimatums during their marriage that she never really followed through on that it destroyed it. Even their “separation” wasn’t really a separation. I think she’ll always have a tendency to enable him which is why I really hope they finalize their divorce swiftly and move on. He isn’t good for her, and she isn’t good for him IMO.
Exactly. He does not have thick skin. He spends way too much time not only deflecting criticism in any way he can, but also blaming his issues on other people like Jennifer Lopez. He also has his best friend Matt Damon chime in and blame his issues on Jennifer Garner.
Anyone who almost cries in an interview because the movie he directed got bad ratings does not have thick skin.
I’m wondering if he’s back in rehab. There was no GC denial on that story about him only being in for 2 weeks. Mark my words. DIVorce will be dragged out forever. All talk of him moving seems to have stopped.