|
Ben Affleck plays a pilot who volunteers
for the Battle of Britain. He spoke with NEWSWEEK’s Jeff Giles.
NEWSWEEK: “GOOD WILL HUNTING”
was such a boon for you. Are you still writing screenplays?
Ben Affleck: I haven’t longed to write a screenplay again. I’ve
been writing stuff just personally for me.
What, like haiku?
[ Laughs ] Just single-word stuff, actually. Sometimes I’ll write
down just root or energy .
Teardrop?
Yes. Or snowflake.
That sounds so nice.
Well, I’m looking for a buyer.
You and Matt Damon became symbols of a dream: hitting it big with your
best friend.
Yes, Miramax was really savvy. I think, in a real cynical way, they were
like, “We are going to sell the bejesus out of this angle!”
Matt once told me a story about you and him getting chased through an
airport.
That was the day after the Oscars. These people, like, hounded us from
the gate. We ran and got in the tram—and they got in, too. And then
there wasn’t any more chase dynamic, so we all just kind of stood
there. We’re really not worth chasing down.
Do you ever surprise yourself by having a real diva moment?
Yes, it happens. You’ll be like, “Goddammit, where is this limousine?!
I’ve been waiting for five minutes!”
“And I don’t want a white one!”
Right. But then you think, “What are you, Madonna? Relax.”
I hear that the guys who rented the vintage planes to “Pearl Harbor”
were watching you very carefully—like, “Damn you, Ben Affleck,
don’t you hurt my plane!”
They were pissed. Those guys are so precious about their f—king planes.
It’s like, “Look, guys, either don’t rent them—or
accept the fact that they’re going to have to be turned on and peddled
around.”
Since “Pearl Harbor” is
a love triangle, I asked Josh Hartnett what he would do if he really did
have to fight you for a woman—what he thought your weak points were.
What did he say?
He said, “Aw, Ben doesn’t have weak points,” and I was
very disappointed.
[ Big smile ] Josh is already learning to be so political! I have weaknesses
which could be used against me quite deftly. My weaknesses would probably
be that... see, if I tell you my weaknesses then you’ll use them
against me next time you and me compete over a woman. But I wouldn’t
even go up against Josh. The wise general knows when not to fight.
|
