‘People are gonna have opinions’: Ben Affleck Addressed Fan Backlash to Batman Casting, Said He Was Never Right for “Straight Ahead Version” of Batman

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DC fans are known to be extremely particular when it comes to picking actors for their favorite superhero characters; they always seem to be set on who they want to play as a given character. But nobody would’ve expected people to go wild with rage when Ben Affleck was cast as Bruce Wayne, aka, Batman.

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Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck

Fans were not happy in the slightest with DC’s decision to give the role to Ben Affleck but turns out that the Gone Girl star had pretty much seen the backlash coming.

Ben Affleck knew people wouldn’t be thrilled about him playing Batman

In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Ben Affleck looked back at the time when he had to face backlash from fans after director Zack Snyder had picked him to play the role of Batman. The situation had escalated to a point where he hadn’t even started filming, and people were still hating on him.

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Ben Affleck as Batman in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
Ben Affleck as Batman in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Related: ‘I’m not like 25 man…. Are you sure!?’: Ben Affleck Reveals Zack Snyder Chose Him as Batman Because He Wanted an Older Dark Knight Who’s “Falling Apart”

When asked what his reaction to all that chaos was, the Good Will Hunting star said that he had expected people to have different views about his role. “You expect that people are gonna have opinions about casting in these kinds of roles. So, I know there’s going to be backlash of some kind almost no matter what happens”, he stated.

He also sort of understood the need fans have about wanting a certain someone to play their favorite character. “Everybody has somebody that they want to play the part in their idea and their version of the movie”, he pointed out.

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Ben Affleck says it’s futile trying to explain his role to everyone

The 50-year-old actor also talked about how he didn’t think he would’ve been right for the “straight ahead version” of the movie.

“Like I said, we didn’t do this sort of down-the-middle, straight-ahead version of Batman which I probably wouldn’t have been right for”, he said before continuing, “but instead did this other thing, which is kind of a more sideways take on it.” 

Related: Ben Affleck Fans Congratulate Him on 50th Birthday, Request He Don the Batsuit and Return to DCEU as Batfleck

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Ben Affleck played the role of Batman.
Fans weren’t thrilled with Ben Affleck playing the role of Batman

Affleck remarked that it’s just not possible to go around and explain that to everyone and help them see beyond their negative perspectives.

“It’s just like you go, you make a good movie”, he articulated, “and you hope that what the fans really want to see is that you dedicate yourself to working hard and making something good so they get their money’s worth.” 

All in all, Ben Affleck made it a point to take that incident in stride and not feel too bad about the backlash he faced; everyone’s going to have something to talk about no matter what the circumstance is, so he chose to focus on his work instead of taking it too personally.

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Related:  ‘I’m the best Batman, Ben Affleck was the best available’: George Clooney Claims He’s Better Than Batfleck, Fully Forgetting He Starred in ‘Batman & Robin’

Source: Youtube

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Written by Khushi Shah

Articles Published: 715

With a prolific knowledge of everything pop culture and a strong penchant for writing, Khushi has penned over 600 articles during her time as an author at FandomWire.
An abnormal psychology student and an avid reader of dark fiction, her most trusted soldiers are coffee and a good book.