Affleck uses career grief to fuel his performance

USA Today, Sep 7, 2006 by Anthony Breznican

Ben Affleck is hunting for some audience goodwill.

After two years out of the spotlight, the actor whose reputation was scorched by overheated media coverage of his love life and a handful of lackluster films is back on screen.

The first role after his self-imposed exile: George Reeves, the tragic "Superman" actor of the 1950s whose mysterious death is explored in "Hollywoodland", opening Friday.

Affleck, 34, is receiving some of the strongest reviews since his 1997 breakthrough in "Chasing Amy" and "Good Will Hunting," which earned him a screenplay Oscar with Matt Damon.

Affleck's new movie also is drawing comparisons with his life. Both Affleck and Reeves faced career crises amid withering press and a public that projected the actors' screen images onto their real lives. Unlike Reeves, who is believed to have committed suicide, Affleck used the career grief to fuel his performance, says "Hollywoodland" screenwriter and executive producer Paul Bernbaum.

"It's about who you really are, as opposed to who people think you are," Bernbaum says. "Whatever role (Affleck) played in the press, that wasn't him. When you're followed 24 hours a day, you can't be yourself. And George had the same problem. He wasn't Superman, but that's all anyone wanted to see. Ben could really relate to that."

Affleck has been low-key lately, not doing interviews to promote the film. Last year, he quietly married Jennifer Garner, and they had a child.

Kristy Ashmore, who runs Ben-Fan.com, says she's glad he took a break. "It gave people a chance to recover from the Bennifer thing," referring to his engagement to Jennifer Lopez.

Ashmore says the actor's mistake was sublimating his regular-guy charm in favor of "bling and glam."

Affleck is going back to his roots by writing and directing the kidnapping thriller "Gone, Baby, Gone," set in his hometown of Boston. It's due next year. "It's a gritty drama, very powerful, very emotional," says Daniel Battsek, president of Miramax films, which is releasing "Gone" and is a partner on "Hollywoodland." "He may not have been onscreen for a little while, but he's a young guy and has plenty of career left in him, both as an actor and a director."