Ben Affleck once starred in an iconic 1997 film alongside Jason Lee and Joey Lauren Adams that helped break some personal and societal barriers for the actor. Portraying the role of Holden McNeil, Affleck had a difficult time starring in the romance/indie film Chasing Amy.
Talking about starring in the film, Ben Affleck revealed that kissing his on-screen friend Banky Edwards (Jason Lee) was one of the hardest things that Affleck had to do. The actor further stated that after kissing Lee, he considered himself a serious actor!
When Ben Affleck Considered Himself A Serious Actor
1997 was the year Affleck and his best friend Matt Damon came up with the film Good Will Hunting and also starred in it. 1997 was also the year Chasing Amy was released which garnered some controversies for its themes and story.
In the film, Ben Affleck falls in love with a woman who turns out to be a lesbian. Due to some circumstances (created by the plotline), Affleck ends up kissing his co-star Jason Lee in the film but before he kissed Lee, the Daredevil actor was quite hesitant about the act. Talking to Gay Star News, Jason Lee revealed how difficult the scene was for Affleck.
“[Affleck stated that] a man kissing another man is the greatest acting challenge an actor can ever face.” And after the cameras had stopped rolling, Affleck stated “now, I’m a serious actor.”
The Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice actor appeared in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in which he clearly stated that he was not homophobic but just needed a minute.
“I’m not homophobic…I guess I am, more than I thought, in that, you know, it was just difficult for me, and I didn’t think it would be.”
The case is pretty similar to Will Smith’s when the Men in Black actor refused to kiss his co-star for the 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation but later regretted the action.
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Will Smith Regrets Not Kissing His Co-star In 1993
In 1993, Smith did not have the stardom of an actor but rather a rapper and Six Degrees of Separation was the first film in which Will Smith had a pretty significant role. Talking about refusing to kiss his co-star for the role, Smith talked to Entertainment Weekly about how it was immature on his part.
“It was very immature on my part. I was thinking, ‘How are my friends in Philly going to think about this?’ I wasn’t emotionally stable enough to artistically commit to that aspect of the film… This was a valuable lesson for me. Either you do it, or you don’t.”
In the end, Will Smith indeed changed his ways and dedicated himself fully to any role that he portrayed over the years. With Ben Affleck in the lead role, Chasing Amy received a rating of 7.2/10 on IMDB and 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and is available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
