--- title: 10 Questions for Ben Affleck | TIME description: He co-wrote, directed and stars in the Boston bank-heist film The Town. Ben Affleck will now take your questions. canonical: https://time.com/video/O7p9MZSP/ og:title: 10 Questions for Ben Affleck og:description: He co-wrote, directed and stars in the Boston bank-heist film The Town. Ben Affleck will now take your questions. og:url: https://time.com/video/O7p9MZSP/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/O7p9MZSP/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 10 Questions for Ben Affleck twitter:description: He co-wrote, directed and stars in the Boston bank-heist film The Town. Ben Affleck will now take your questions. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/O7p9MZSP/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # 10 Questions for Ben Affleck > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: 10 Questions for Ben Affleck [Watch (HLS stream): 10 Questions for Ben Affleck](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/O7p9MZSP.m3u8) (6:36)  _Published 2010-09-16. He co-wrote, directed and stars in the Boston bank-heist film The Town. Ben Affleck will now take your questions._ --- Jul 27, 2023 3:05 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Ben Affleck Reveals His Secrets To Becoming Batman](/video/wj67RdFr/) ### Ben Affleck Reveals His Secrets To Becoming Batman [Ben Affleck And Jennifer Garner's Rep Confirms Split](/video/m8efuZo4/) ### Ben Affleck And Jennifer Garner's Rep Confirms Split [Ben Affleck Enjoying Casinos, Treating His Wife](/video/uYqg3W97/) ### Ben Affleck Enjoying Casinos, Treating His Wife --- ## Transcript >> You're like a brother to me and I'm leaving. Should we? Go ahead. So, you're gonna have to shoot me in the back. >> And I'm Belinda Luscombe. I'm an editor- at- large at TIME Magazine. And we have today, as our 10 Questions victim, a man who has been feasted on by many types of media. There are few directors, actually about three directors who have also been People's sexiest man alive. But there are very few screenwriters, Oscar winning screenwriters who have been on the cover of In Touch and Life & Style and probably the New York Post and had their story chronicled with such detail as Mr. Ben Affleck. Today's question, answer. What is the most useful directorial tip you've picked up from being directed and from whom did you get it asked Margarita Gilland of Manhattan? >> You know, Gus Van Sant was really good about sort of letting actors make their own discoveries, you know, I always thought of acting and directing as a sort of like, you know, where you go to see how well you did, you know, you do take over the director and say how was that and Gus' answer was always like, " I don't know. What do you think ?" And so, you know, I actually have learned to let everyone make their own discovery, and once I [ unk ] have to think about, you know, how I take buzz or how a moment was, I'd develop a whole new criterion for it. I don't know. He also said directing was not 90 percent casting, and so I think it was very wise. I had some great actors in this movie I just did. So, it was really-- I think that's why it's worked. >> That's quite-- that is an incredible cast that you've got in the town. Who was the hardest to get? >> You know, I was lucky I got all my first choice people. Jon Hamm was first. >> I did wanna say one thing. You're here today so I could personally tell you that you are going to die and so present. >> So, I really thought, you know, this is kind of a linchpin thing. I got Jon, he's such a, you know, he's so handsome. Everyone else was going to the movie. >> Oh, exactly. Is it important to have a handsome head of the-- he's FBI or-- >> Yes, FBI, yes. >> Yeah, yeah. >> You know, yes it is. I think that's one of the shortcomings now in the FBI. Maybe the only one, it was that, when I met them, they didn't have very many you know, Jon Hamms. >> Do you find that your directing style changed the second time around since you're also in front of the camera in The Town? This is also a New York City question from Paul Dor. >> Yeah. I think, you know, if you think of it like sort of running a marathon, the first time I ran the marathon, I wasn't even sure I could finish, you know, and now once I knew the movie would actually get to the end without exploding, I can kind of could focus on time or whatever. You know, I had-- it was still nerve wracking, I still had a lot of anxiety, it was still very difficult but I guess I had a little bit more just confidence. >> And that meant that you could cast yourself as the lead? >> Exactly. I thought I could exploit my position as director by hiring myself with a little bit less in security. >> Does that mean you get two paychecks? >> It means that the director talks to the lead actor out of taking any money so he could apply that to the budget. >> Oh. And you gave sample of good sex scenes I notice too. >> I did-- yeah. Had two love scenes, although one of them is very depressing and kind of you know-- >> The one with Blake Lively? >> Yeah. >> You're the only person in the world that had a sex scene with Blake Lively. >> You can't stay. >> I don't wanna stay. I wanna go with you. Why can't I change? I could be a different person. >> This sort of humbling you, like trying to get away from and you can't quite and we're both really bad for one another. Blake was really good. She kind of got that that was the idea and she really committed to it and yeah, the idea was to not make it too sort of, I don't know, cheap and toggery. >> But I'm right in saying nobody else in the movie has a sex scene, right? >> I did make sure no one else had. I had one with Jon but I cut that out because it's disturbing. >> Pearl Harbor, Gigli and Jersey Girl were borderline unwatchable. For someone who's so intelligent, how are these movies snuck by your radar? >> I don't know what borderline means. That means you watched it but then later was like I can't watch this. You know, it's a tricky thing. I mean, you sort of like to think that when you make a movie, it's very easy ahead of time to know that something is gonna be-- is gonna work or isn't but you know, on large measure, they're kinda fenced, you know, you have instinct about it creatively, you like to direct or you like the other actors. The story seems to be compelling. And so you make that bad and even when you-- you think you're a favorite, you can come up short. There are a number of movies that I've done out of our money, you know, that I haven't been proud of and a lot that have. And, you know, people knew exactly what it took to make a movie that worked or to make a hit, you know. There would be more of them. You know, you just sort of take your best shot. I like Jersey Girl, by the way. The other is like [ unk ] Affair recently. >> You have a colorful tabloid history and now you have this whole new career as a very respected director and you know, reasonably respected actor and-- >> This is a season TIME Magazine. >> This person, Jenny Gatna from Rutland, Vermont said, " As far as many of us can tell, you appeared you've come a long way as an artist since looking of the era. Are a better actor and director now or is it the drastic change in your life's circumstances that has allowed us to see your true talents? >> I was-- I feel like I have always been the same person that I am now. I've always tried to live according to these values. I've always, you know, worked hard and tried to make movies that work. Sometimes, things went well for me. Sometimes they didn't but it's very hard for me to identify some, you know, turning point where to do a tribute too much to other than, you know, I'm happy now because you know, gotten a little bit older and a little bit more mature but it was never like I was, you know, out of control or doing crazy things, you know, I sort of pursued the same track and frankly I'm just glad to find myself where I am. >> Okay. Well, I wanna thank Mr. Affleck for coming by today. 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