Ben Affleck is considered one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood, gaining fame with his roles in projects like Good Will Hunting and his portrayal of Batman in the DCEU. His notable works include Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Air, The Accountant, and Argo. One of his acclaimed roles was in the film Gone Girl. However, there appears to be a contradiction from the author of Gone Girl regarding the actor’s performance.
Ben Affleck played co-lead with Rosamund Pike in the thriller film Gone Girl, where the actress was portrayed as the villain of the film. She was considered a psychotic woman who made Ben Affleck’s life hell in the movie.
Gone Girl Attacked Critics While Contradicting Herself
According to Gone Girl’s IMDB trivia page, Gillian Flynn, the author of Gone Girl, addressed accusations of misogyny related to her novels, particularly the portrayal of female villains. Flynn rejects the notion that her writing is limited to a narrow view of feminism and argues for the portrayal of complex female characters, including those who may be morally ambiguous or antagonistic.
‘‘To me, that puts a very, very small window on what feminism is,” she responds. “Is it really only ‘girl power’, and ‘you-go-girl’, and empower yourself, and be the best you can be? For me, it’s also the ability to have women who are bad characters…the one thing that really frustrates me is this idea that women are innately good, innately nurturing. In literature, they can be dismissably bad – trampy, vampy, b**** types – but there’s still a big pushback against the idea that women can be just pragmatically evil, bad and selfish…I don’t write psycho b*****. The psycho b**** is just crazy – she has no motive, and so she’s a dismissible person because of her psycho-bitchiness.”
This is a clear contradiction from what she had said in the past, as Gillian Flynn initially considered titling Gone Girl as Psycho B**** but changed her mind. She later expressed frustration with the label of “psycho bitches” in literature, emphasizing that her characters are clinically psychopathic and brilliant, with clear motives.
Also read: Ben Affleck’s Smile is the Reason Why He Was Cast in $369 Million Worth Hit Movie With Rosamund Pike
Ben Affleck Bagged His Role In Gone Girl For One Big Reason
Ben Affleck’s role as Nick Dunne in David Fincher’s Gone Girl is notable for his portrayal of a man whose wife is missing. Fincher revealed to Vanity Fair that he cast Affleck based on his public-friendly smile, especially for a critical scene where the character has to appear normal and not suspicious when asked to stand next to a poster of his missing wife.
“You cast movies based on critical scenes. In Gone Girl, there’s a smile the guy has to give when the local press asks him to stand next to a poster of his missing wife.”
“I flipped through Google Images and found about 50 shots of Affleck giving that kind of smile in public situations. You look at them and know he’s trying to make people comfortable in the moment, but by doing that he’s making himself vulnerable to people having other perceptions about him.”
Fincher found several images of Affleck with the required smile from public situations, showcasing his ability to make people comfortable while also making himself vulnerable to different perceptions.
