Ben Affleck recently spoke about his experience of playing the DC Extended Universe‘s Batman in Zack Snyder’s various DC Movies.
What did Ben Affleck think of playing the DCEU Batman?
The actor discussed the long and deep legacy that comes with the character of Batman and how that makes the role uniquely challenging. Though he spent a lot of time thinking about it, Affleck noted that Snyder’s direction made for a good atmosphere in which to tackle the daunting role.
“This part is a unique part because so many excellent actors have played it and filmmakers have done it and the mythology extends all the way down through decades after decades, from the Adam West TV series and the cartoons and stuff on up to the really amazing films and art about it,” Affleck explained. “So it’s much more daunting, in a way. Because anything else you do, if you’re doing it for the first time, there’s nothing else to hold you up against, compare you to … no expectations. You have the liberty of just going out there and defining it, for better or for worse.
“There’s a double-edged sword with a time like this because you have a lot of tailwind and people have a lot of goodwill and enthusiasm around these characters that have existed in our culture for a long time, but also, they have a lot of expectations. So I definitely spent a lot of time thinking about it and angsting about it, but all the performances that I ended up being able to sleep at night around … Zack creates an extremely comfortable, fluid atmosphere. For me, as a director, that’s the most important thing that I try to do.”
Affleck first played the Caped Crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which first released in 2016. Directed by Zack Snyder and written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer, the movie would go on to receive a director’s cut release, which had an R rating and a minute longer runtime than the theatrical cut by 31 minutes.
