Ben Affleck may now be enjoying a wealth of success both in his personal and professional life, but recent years haven't been easy for the A-list movie star.
The spotlight has failed to stop shining on the actor, even in his most challenging moments. We watched as he went through a divorce from Jennifer Garner in 2018, after a relationship that lasted 13 years, along with his challenges with sobriety that resulted in a stint in rehab a year before in 2017.
Now, in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Affleck has described how the time in which he was filming Justice League combined with some of the hardest moments he's ever had to face, even describing it as "the worst experience", not because of the movie or the cast and crew, but because of those personal struggles.
He explained: "That was a bad experience because of a confluence of things: my own life, my divorce, being away too much, the competing agendas and then [director] Zack [Snyder]’s personal tragedy [Snyder’s daughter Autumn died by suicide in 2017] and the reshooting. It just was the worst experience. It was awful. It was everything that I didn’t like about this.
"That became the moment where I said, “I’m not doing this anymore.” It’s not even about, like, Justice League was so bad. Because it could have been anything."
Though he has plenty of people who will support him, including millions of fans across the globe, Affleck hasn't always felt the love of those who follow his life. During the early to mid 2000s for example, he had to see a therapist about the "vicious, awful, hateful stuff" that was being written about him online.
Affleck revealed: "The therapist said, “What I find about criticism is that if you can look at it honestly and take in what resonates with you, then the rest of it you can let go.” And that was a process that got me into directing and gave me the confidence to start doing that."
Fortunately, it now looks as though Affleck's life is on an upward trajectory that shows no sign of slowing down. He's been announced as the producer of the movies Keeper of the Lost Cities and Witness for the Prosecution, as well as the executive producer of TV movie Thirst.
These combine with his role as producer on Apostle Paul and Ghost Army and, he'll even return to the DC Extended Universe when he reprises his role as Bruce Wayne aka Batman in The Flash, later this year.
With roles in Deep Water, Hypnotic, Ghost Army, the aforementioned Witness for the Prosecution and, an untitled sequel to The Accountant, he's got plenty of projects to keep him busy.
Now, standing firmly alongside his former yet reforged flame Jennifer Lopez, the future's bright. At nearly 50-years-old, let's hope he can continue to keep his head above water.
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