Ben Affleck is a blockbuster movie star, but he’s happy to acknowledge his performances haven’t always made the cut.
In an interview on SiriusXM radio Wednesday, the Oscar-winning screenwriter and actor admitted he was once voiced over in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” because the director, Fran Rubel Kuzui, disliked his performance so much.
While discussing Affleck’s new film “The Way Back,” in which he plays a basketball coach battling alcohol addiction, SiriusXM host Julia Cunningham asked the actor what it was like stepping into the role of a coach after playing a basketballer in the 1992 vampire movie.
“Apparently I’m so bad in that movie. I had one line, it was ‘Take it,’ I think. I’m holding a basketball, another basketball player turns into like a werewolf or whatever,” he said of his role as “Basketball Player #10.”
“And I think I say ‘take it, man,’ and I thought it was fine, and the director seemed happy. I went to the movie, didn’t get premiere tickets or anything ... and I was like, ‘That is not my voice. That is not me.’”
“Apparently the director hated my performance so much that she looped the entire performance ― which was one line. But yes, I am dubbed. In English.”
While that early performance didn’t quite hit the mark, Affleck went on to star in “Good Will Hunting” and “Argo,” each of which claimed a Best Picture Oscar and a Golden Globe for best drama.
Affleck recently discussed his new film, his mission to get his career back on track and his struggles with addiction in several interviews, drawing parallels between his own life and his latest role.
“The Way Back,” which hits cinemas this week, is a sports drama about a high school basketball star who returns to coaching while struggling with alcoholism.