An Interview with Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck has it all - good looks, a successful career in blockbuster movies, an Oscar and mega-star fiancée J.Lo...

  Ben Affleck ...and now he's starring in the sci-fi thriller Paycheck, directed by John Woo. Ben plays a guy who loses his memory after a three-year hiatus inside a computer. We caught up with him to talk about the film, the pressure of life under the scrutiny of the public eye and his vision of the future.

Sorry, I just have to ask the wedding question...
The wedding question... Have you heard my pat answer to that question?

Uh, no.
All right. It's legal now in Massachusetts. And Matt (Damon) and I have set a date. We're getting married on New Year's Day. I like to call it a commitment ceremony. It's non-traditional. And... I'm not sure what side of the aisle I'm gonna be on! But I tell you what, when you find out it'll tell you something about my intimate life.

But other than that, one of the many lessons I've learned this year being exposed to the press more than I had in the past, is that if the story is big enough on its own, it doesn't need my help! So it's not something I'm going to talk about too much. Because I hope it will, sort of... die down a little bit.

So are you and J.Lo still officially engaged?
We're still together. And I'm definitely, officially, not, uh, not going to tell you any more than that! That's the official answer. I feel like the Pentagon: we can't, that's national security. It'll happen at an undisclosed location.

Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
I tried to quit smoking the last two years. And I was such a failure that now I think that resolutions are jinxes. So I'm not going to resolve anything. Then maybe I'll do all the things I want to do - by not resolving to do them!

What kind of mindset did you have to get into to play a man who disappears in a computer for three years?
Yeah, that was a stretch! I've gotten in trouble with a lot of computers, mostly breaking them. But most of what this guy is about is trying to discover himself, you know? And he doesn't remember three years of his life. And I used to drink a bit, so I know what that's like! No, I'm just kidding!

Did you identify with the character Jennings in any way?
There were some things, like making trade-offs for his work and being very focused on it. But like any science fiction, it requires a lot of imagination as well.

As you're in a thriller about the future, what are your own feelings about the future?
I think we have free will, and that we make our own fates. And I think it has something to do with karma, and something to do with us and the choices we make. And I think we have both in us. You know, the choice to do things well, and the choice to do things poorly. I would not want to see the future if I could, because I would just obsess over all the bad things that were going to happen to me. And probably lose appreciation for the good things because, you know, I would know about them already.

If you could erase a certain chunk of time from your memory, what would it be?
Well, from a young age I've had a lot of experiences that people probably would think of as difficult or stressful. They were certainly trying for me. But I don't think I would want to erase any of them. Because I think, ultimately, it makes me who I am. And I think in other people, it makes them who they are. Some of the most interesting people I know have been through a lot. Even this last year, which was marked by a lot of tabloid hysteria and a lot of entertainment press overexposure - I wouldn't want to forget any of that.

How come?
Because it provided me with a pretty unique perspective on our culture, the media and the world. And that's part of who I am. And just because things are a little bit unpleasant doesn't mean you should necessarily want to forget them.

Does that kind of attitude help you when bad stuff is happening?
Yeah, to a certain extent. But part of it is just a sort of healthy denial! You know, just pretending it's not happening. I don't spend a lot of time reading those things, every time my name is mentioned in the papers. I mean, when you first start out it's interesting and sexy and it's fun - then it becomes oppressive in a way.

I feel if you spend too much time focusing on that, you become like a snake that's eating its tail, you know? It's sort of like a danger of flying up your own asshole. So I try to avoid it. And not read it, and not try to deal with it. And also, having a good, healthy perspective. One of the things that this year has helped me recognize is that it's not the most important thing to me - it's not even in the top five for me. It's about the kind of person I am and the kind of life I lead. And how I treat other people. And whether I live in a way that's true to my own spirit, and who I want to be. I am more interested in doing what's right, than doing the easiest possible thing.

So would you say that Paycheck is a high-octane movie?
I don't know why people use that quote about movies all the time. Does anyone really know what octane is? You know what I mean? It's some additive that prevents like pinging, due to excessive lead in the gas. Anyway...

What was it like having Uma Thurman as your leading lady?
No complaints there. Imagine waking up after three years, and discovering that you have no memory of your life, and then finding out that Uma Thurman is your girlfriend - it started off well!

The interesting thing about Uma is that she's my age and she's been successful in working for quite a bit longer than I have. And has a lot more experience. The way she conducts herself is exemplary. She's a pro, she's on time and she never complains. She is aggressive and she asks questions, but it's always focused on making the movie better. It's never about a subtext. I'm insecure and I want attention. So I'm going to create drama.

She's an exceptional actress, and obviously a great beauty. And really smart. And... do you hate her yet? And she's a great mother. That was the most impressive thing about her. Uma had these two little cherubic kids floating around the set all the time. They were very precocious, correcting me all the time! They're incredibly sweet and I don't think kids get that way by accident, you know?

So it was a real pleasure. I would love to work with her again any time. And I got to ask her all about Kill Bill, and what her real name was in Kill Bill and what happens in the second one. Of course I can't divulge any of that to you!

Have you recovered yet from the Gigli disaster?
One of the things I liked about the train wreck of Gigli, was that it was evidence to me that I'm still taking risks. And risk-taking, inherent by definition, means that you might fail. But I feel that in terms of material, I just haven't found a writer and a screenplay that's as good as Good Will Hunting to work with. Ever again! That's a joke! Don't forget to write down, that's a joke! Write it down, write it down!

Now that you've had more than a taste of science fiction in your career, which magic power would you like to have in real life?
Well, sometimes I think invisibility wouldn't be that bad! I used to say flying. But now I'm starting to think, maybe there's something to that invisibility thing! I watched The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen on Pay-Per-View last night and it did occur to me that the guy had to be naked all the time to be invisible. Which I think is a health hazard. As well as probably inconvenient. And cold!

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