In a recent podcast appearance, Ben Affleck recalled how, early in his career, Bruce Willis had some advice on navigating the opportunities that followed the success of 1997’s “Good Will Hunting.”
“Man, don’t go do that Shakespeare movie,” Affleck, 54, recalled Willis saying, referring to “Shakespeare in Love” (1998), which eventually won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture.
“He was wrong about that one. But he hadn’t read the script, in all fairness,” Affleck told Josh Horowitz, host of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, on Oct. 12.
Affleck, who had already won an Oscar for the “Good Will Hunting” screenplay, appeared in “Shakespeare in Love” as Ned Alleyn, a fellow actor working in the theatrical world of Elizabethan England.
The romantic comedy directed by John Madden reimagined the life of William Shakespeare, played by Joseph Fiennes, through a fictional romance with Viola de Lesseps, portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow.
Paltrow won Best Actress for her performance, while Judi Dench received the Best Supporting Actress award for her appearance as Queen Elizabeth I.
“Shakespeare in Love” offered Affleck a different creative outlet from the action-heavy material typical of his work.
In his comments, Affleck described Willis as someone who genuinely wanted to help a younger colleague navigate Hollywood and expressed how much love he has for him.
Affleck worked with Willis on the 1998 Michael Bay science-fiction blockbuster “Armageddon” and shared with Horowitz some of the advice he received.
“Bruce Willis once turned to me and was like, ‘Your voice is too high.’ I was like, ‘What?’ He was like, ‘Don’t have that high voice.’ I was like, ‘Bruce, that’s just my voice. Can I change that?’”
Willis stepped away from acting in 2022 following an aphasia diagnosis, which was later identified as frontotemporal dementia in 2023. He has since remained out of the Hollywood spotlight as he receives support from his family.
Affleck reflected on a low point in his career when he reprised his role as Batman in the 2017 film “Justice League.”
The production was marked by behind-the-scenes turmoil, extensive reshoots, and a change in directors, which proved challenging for him.
“The truth is, the experience of ‘Justice League’ was so, so negative for lots of different reasons,” he said on the podcast.
“Some of which having to do with where I was personally, some of which having to do with the tragedy that happened during the time.”
Director Zach Snyder stepped away from film production after his 20-year-old daughter, Autumn Snyder, died by suicide in March 2017.
“Also, the fact that I really saw how not to make a movie like that when the studio is at odds with the filmmaker,” he said. “You’re really making a mistake. That was what really doomed that.”
Affleck’s latest major project is “Animals,” a Netflix thriller he co-wrote, directed, and stars in.
The film follows a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife who are forced into a desperate race against time when their son is kidnapped.
