Ben Affleck Admits to Bringing ‘a Lot of Unhappiness’ to “Justice League” Set: ‘I Had My Own Failings’

Ben Affleck Reveals Challenges Faced on Justice League Set

In a recent interview with GQ, Hollywood actor Ben Affleck opened up about his time on the set of the 2017 film, Justice League. Affleck, who portrayed Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman, described the experience as “excruciating.” The 52-year-old actor shared that while the negative experiences were not solely from being in a superhero movie, he expressed his lack of interest in returning to that particular genre. Affleck candidly admitted, “I’ve lost interest in what was of interest about it to me.”

Reflecting on his time filming Justice League, Affleck acknowledged his own shortcomings, stating, “I certainly wouldn’t want to replicate an experience like that. A lot of it was a misalignment of agendas, understandings, expectations. And also, by the way, I wasn’t bringing anything particularly wonderful to that equation at the time, either. I had my own failings, significant failings, in that process and at that time.”

Affleck confessed that during his time on set, he felt a significant amount of unhappiness, which affected his overall experience. He shared, “More of my failings of, in terms of why I had a bad experience, part of it is that what I was bringing to work every day was a lot of unhappiness.” Despite trying to fulfill his role professionally, Affleck admitted he struggled to bring positive energy to the set.

The Justice League film faced numerous challenges, including delays, budget issues, script changes, and a director change late in the filming process. Following Zack Snyder’s departure from the project due to personal reasons, director Joss Whedon stepped in, leading to extensive reshoots. Several cast members, including Gal Gadot and Ray Fisher, have since spoken out against alleged unprofessional behavior by Whedon during production.

Affleck also addressed concerns about the film’s suitability for a broad audience, noting that it started to skew towards an older demographic, alienating younger viewers. This divergence in vision between the filmmaker and the studio created further complications. Despite the difficulties faced during the making of Justice League, Affleck did highlight his enjoyment of playing Batman and his positive experiences working on other DC Universe projects.

As the actor continues to reflect on his time as the Caped Crusader, he expressed his appreciation for the creative ambitions he had for the character. Affleck particularly enjoyed exploring the darker, troubled side of Bruce Wayne’s character in the first Batman movie. While the challenges and negative experiences on the Justice League set still resonate with Affleck, he remains grateful for the opportunities to portray such an iconic superhero.

Sign up for the latest news from PEOPLE to stay informed on all the latest entertainment updates and exclusive human interest stories. Ben Affleck’s candid revelations shed light on the tumultuous production of Justice League and offer valuable insights into the complexities of big-budget filmmaking in the superhero genre.