Hollywood actor-director Ben Affleck has featured in several critically acclaimed films and box office hits. He has impressed many not only with his on-screen performances but with his remarkable work behind the camera as well. And The Town star has credited his 2003 film Gigli, which bombed at the box office, for his direction expertise. Starring alongside his future wife, Jennifer Lopez, the romantic comedy miserably failed at the box office.
And the Batman actor claims that he was already aware that there was nothing that could have made that movie a hit. However, despite failing at the box office, it did have some positive outcomes for him.
Ben Affleck Believes Nothing Could Have Saved Gigli
Ben Affleck starred alongside Jennifer Lopez in the 2003 romantic comedy Gigli. Martin Brest’s film follows Larry Gigli, who is assigned the task to kidnap the mentally ill brother of a district attorney. The film continue to be in conversation since its lead stars were romantically involved at the time.
However, the reviews and remarks from its initial screening were not very positive, leading the makers to plan reshoots for its theatrical release. And it did not change much for the film, as it still failed at the box office, with critics calling it the “worst movie to come out of Hollywood.”
And Affleck later shared that he did have an idea that the reshoots would not make a difference in the film’s reception. “[Gigli] didn’t work, and we did five weeks of reshoots, which we knew were not gonna work,” he shared during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
He also stated that he was very dissatisfied with the film’s reviews as it “engendered a lot of negative feelings in people about [him].” Although the 2003 rom-com instilled in him “self-doubt,” he also claimed that if it were not for the failure of Gigli, he would not have realized his interest in directing.
Ben Affleck Learned A Lot From Gigli’s Failure
Although Ben Affleck’s 2002 film failed at the box office, the actor learned a lot of things while working on it. He claimed that starring in a Martin Brest movie allowed him to learn a lot more about directing. “I learned more about directing on that movie than anything else because Marty is a brilliant director, really gifted,” he shared.
He also shared that Gigli was also the film that made him realize that he might not “have any other avenue but to direct movies.” Affleck has since starred in and directed multiple award-winning movies, including an Oscar for Best Picture for his 2012 film Argo. Considering these things, Affleck has said that, in a way, the 2003 movie was also a “gift” for his professional life. The Argo star also mentioned that he met his wife, Jennifer Lopez while starring in the film.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
