Ben Affleck Responds To Batman Backlash

Ben Affleck is speaking out for the first time about his casting as Batman in the upcoming sequel to “Man of Steel,” and the Oscar winner said he felt “very tough” – until he saw the first barrage of negative comments.

“They called me up and said, ‘Do you wanna do this?’ And I thought, ‘Well, I’m not 25, man. Are you sure about this?’” Ben said on Monday’s “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.”

The Oscar winner explained that studio executives told Ben that backlash was common for the role.

”‘Listen, we want to talk to you because people go through this process and it can be trying…We want to show you some of the reactions that past people who have been cast have gotten, like on the internet and stuff,’” he recalled. “[They showed me] people who were in these movies who did a great job and [commenters would] say, ‘Kill him!’ You can’t say that before a movie comes out. It doesn’t matter what you think then, it matters what you think when you see the movie.”

Adding, “The people from the studio were like, ‘We’re thrilled! And listen, we want to talk to you, because people go through this process and it can be a little trying.’”

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But then fans responded to Batfleck!

“I said, ‘I’m a big boy. I can handle any snub. I can handle anything,’” he told Jimmy. “I said, ‘I handle s**t.’ I’m very tough.’ So, I saw the announcement, I look down the thing and I look at the first comment. The first comment goes, ‘Nooooooooooooo.’ I’m like, ‘We’re going to be Luddites for a while, kids.’”

Despite the hardcore fans’ negative take, Ben said he’s thrilled that his kids get to see him in the role.

“Every kid should see their dad as a superhero, right? It’s so awesome, man,” he said. “I’m so excited.”

— Jesse Spero

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