Ben Affleck has been in a ton of movies, both good and bad ones. It is but natural for him to have a sort of affection towards some of his characters and projects while taking diggs at his other projects. Though Affleck has starred in multiple brilliant movies, there is one movie so hilariously inaccurate that it makes it very enjoyable, a fact that even the Batman star agrees with.
Affleck starred in the hit Bruce Willis starter movie Armageddon. Known for its scientific inaccuracy, the movie was a hit, grossing about $553 million. But the movie’s success did not stop Affleck from taking a subtle dig at the movie.
Ben Affleck Knew His $553M Movie Was Not Oscar Material
The 1998 Michael Bay movie, Armageddon was a science fiction disaster, to say the least. the storyline revolved around an asteroid that was going to collide with the Earth soon, threatening extinction. It featured NASA training some oil drillers going to the asteroid and planting a nuclear bomb to split it into two, diverting it away from the planet.
While the movie was factually inaccurate, it was a huge hit, thanks to its resemblance of cast and interesting storyline. In an interview with GQ, back in 2020, Ben Affleck called it a very enjoyable movie while also taking a subtle dig at it, calling it un-Oscar-worthy even though it received four nominations.
“Doing Armageddon was so alien to me… It was a really cool experience because it was with all these actors I respected… And Bruce was such a like iconic figure… Michael had a totally different attitude about filmmaking from anyone that I had ever met before… It was an incredible experience… I knew enough to know this isn’t really an Oscar-type movie. This is a, you know, a fun movie.”
His comments were similar to how Bay himself described the movie, claiming it was more of a fantasy and popcorn movie rather than a serious one (via The New York Times).
Ben Affleck Nearly Lost His Life On Set Of Armageddon
The Bruce Willis starrer movie had all the cast don real space suits for the shoot. While filming there was a malfunction that nearly cost Ben Affleck his life. In an interview with Collider, the director himself explained what really happened.
“First day, Ben Affleck, way down, we wrecked, we’re shooting in the Badlands in the Dakotas. I got a microphone or whatever to the actors… And all of a sudden, I see Ben Affleck trying to hit his face shield. They had real NASA locks on their helmets. I’m like, ‘Cut, cut, cut. What’s going on? Ben, what’s going on?’ So we have to run literally like a football field toward. And he was trying to find a rock to bust his mask, because he couldn’t breathe because the air thing was shut.”
Fortunately, the director noticed it and the crew was able to avert a tragedy from happening.
Armageddon can be streamed on HBO Max.
Source: GQ, The New York Times, and Collider
