George Clooney has been a Hollywood veteran with an astounding legacy. The actor also turned director with his 2002 directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind during one of the breaks while being involved in his celebrated Ocean’s trilogy. Previously, Clooney showered good wishes for his close friend Ben Affleck.
Interestingly, both the actors played DC’s iconic frontline hero Batman and both have helmed several projects as directors. But Clooney believes Affleck as an actor deserves more credits and attention. Clooney also directed Affleck in his 2021 coming-of-age drama, The Tender Bar.
George Clooney Revealed Ben Affleck’s Underrated Role
George Clooney, who directed the Batman star Ben Affleck in The Tender Bar, has all the good reasons to believe that Affleck deserved much more attention for his role. Based on J. R. Moehringer’s book of the same name, the movie depicted Affleck as Charlie Maguire. Of course, Affleck was nominated for the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance, but Clooney thinks that he should have been Oscar-bound. In a chat with Deadline’s Pete Hammond, the actor/director revealed his frustration over Affleck not getting an Oscar nod.
“I have to say the thing that’s so cool about that is Ben really showed up, and he stuck his neck out, and yes, he’s gotten a SAG award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination. He deserves it. He put his neck out there, and he really worked hard on this, and he hasn’t been acknowledged much as an actor, and he’s a really wonderful actor.”
The collaboration of the duo is not new. “I’ve had great success working with him the two times I’ve worked with him. I’m a giant fan of his,” Clooney said. The industry veterans have previously united as the producers in the Affleck-starred and directed, Oscar-winning film, Argo.
Ben Affleck Was The First Choice For Charlie Maguire In The Tender Bar
Clooney further revealed that Affleck was the first actor that came to his mind during the development of the William Monahan-scribed film. “I looked at this as a real showcase for Ben, and you know, Ben’s been through the ringer,” he told Deadline. “He’s been as high as you could get,” Clooney added.
“He stood on the stage and won a couple of Oscars. He knows what it’s like to be at the top of the game, and he also has had some rough patches. Some of them, as he has said many times, self-inflicted, but he’s a fighter, and he’s been out there, and he showed up on this one in such a big way and in such a gracious way, and he’s been doing it for a bit, and it’s fun to see the reactions towards him, and it’d be lovely if the same sort of attention was carried on [to the Oscars]. I think he would deserve it.”
Made with a $10 million production budget (per ScreenRant), The Tender Bar received mixed critical responses. However, many fans and critics hailed Affleck’s performance in the movie.
The Tender Bar is available to stream on Prime Videos.
