Yesterday we reported on quotes Ben Affleck gave the Associated Press during his promotional duties for Justice League, out this week. Affleck said that he was “looking at” his “own behavior,” that he wanted to be “part of the solution” to harassment and assault in Hollywood and that we needed to have more women in power. Also, I missed the fact that there is video of Affleck’s brief comments. That’s below and here are his full comments from the video.
It’s a terrible thing and it’s happening on a scale that I don’t think anybody except maybe women understood and recognized how terrible it was. It’s opening a lot of people’s eyes to this. For me that means also looking at my own behavior and addressing that and making sure that I’m part of the solution and making positive steps. We’re calling out other guys when we’re seeing behavior that’s inappropriate.
Two things need to happen. One more women need to be pushed to power so that women feel comfortable coming forward and having someone to report to. Two it can’t just be a woman’s issue. It’s got to be a men’s issue as well.
I would question why he hasn’t more fully acknowledged his own behavior toward women, but at least it’s a start. Another good start for Ben is the fact that he’s pledged to donate all residuals from his Weinstein films to charity. Remember when Ben’s buddy, director Kevin Smith, did this and how emotional and powerful his statement about it was? Here’s what Ben said, and note that he said it after the journalist asked about it.
Fox 5: Kevin Smith is going to be donating his future residuals of his movies that he made under Weinstein to the women in film. I just wanted to get your thoughts on that.
Affleck: It’s funny that you mention that because once Kevin suggested that I decided to do the same thing. Any further residuals I get from a Miramax or Weinstein movie will go either to Find or to RAINN. One is Film Independent and another is a women’s organization. I just don’t want to cash any more checks from the guy. It was Kevin’s idea and I hope it catches on. Some people can’t afford to give all their residuals away but even if you’re giving 10% that’s something.
Ben is not Kevin Smith, he’s not an open person and he’s not emotionally demonstrative. He wants to seem mysterious and not be too revealing or vulnerable but he gives himself away in how he tries to control his image. That said, it’s wonderful that he’s donating all the residuals from his Miramax films. Just look at all the film credits he has at Miramax, there are 17 films there including of course Good Will Hunting, Shakespeare in Love and Gone Baby Gone. It’s just interesting to me that he waited to announce this until he was promoting this film. It’s also interesting that the journalist brought it up first, but as I always say I don’t think there are unscheduled questions in interviews with Ben Affleck.
Affleck’s original interview where he said he has to examine his own behavior.
Affleck’s follow up interview where he said he would donate residuals from his Weinstein films. That’s at 2:00
photos credit: WENN, Backgrid
So what’s he hiding now?
Well Kevin Smith doesn’t have videos of him assaulting women doing their jobs either. So no this doesn’t resonate the same with me.
Can we stop giving men cookies for doing the bare minimum to deflect from their behavior?
Thank you! some of these comments are driving me crazy. If he had done this in the beginning it would be more believable, but he did this after lying, denying using his ex-wife, kids, puppy and “rehab” to fix his image.
Thank you! Anthony Bourdain got dragged thru the mud bc he dared to take responsibility for his part in fostering toxic masculinity in his field and dared to ask himself some tough and introspective questions, but Ben won’t even acknowledge his part in allegedly BEING a sexual harasser and he gets brownie points for that??
“A women’s organization.” This rings a but hollow. Can’t he even remember what the org is for?
Womens stuff.
Despite myself, I chortled at your comment.
Glad it wasn’t just me. He could explain what they do instead of making it
sound like “just some women’s thing.”
FYI y’all “RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.”
Started with Rape and Incest, which are two of the letters in the title.
rainn.org
National hotline is : 800 656 HOPE
They have an advocacy arm, and we can all join in.
Maybe he’s hoping people will google it out of curiousity, and learn more that way.
It was a weird way to describe RAINN. I’m assuming that someone chose it for him. Though I’ll still give credit that he’s giving the $$$.
Thank you! As soon as I read that, I was like RAINN isn’t a “women’s organization”!!!
Women things. Cmon you’re asking him to KNOW THIS?! Too much
“Can’t he even remember what the org is for?”
“Daughters,” and whatever females some such.
Rings a but hollow? What kind of blog do you think this is?
#snorts#
Pictures of Affleck are painful. His eyes hurt. We watched one of his old movies last week. He was so handsome, fresh, clean. Now he looks haggard. It’s not the aging, we all age, it’s the drink.
And the surgeries. He keeps trying to correct the damage alcohol has done on his body with lifts and Botox but it’s not working.
I await the day he distances himself from his brother.
And honestly, what do those residuals look like post the victim uprising?
Sounds like desperate PR to me. Agree with Laura’s comment: “a women’s organization” sounds completely ridiculous to me. WHICH women’s organization? Makes it sound pretty insincere, so too little, way too late. I’ll be glad an organization gets his $, but it doesn’t make me like him a whit.
RAINN.
“It’s just interesting to me that he waited to announce this until he was promoting this film.”
True that, but likely he needed to check with his accountant as well because if it turns out / we find out that he doesn’t fulfill this commitment, we’d crucify him in the court of public opinion.
No he waited because all of his other PR attempts failed and this is his last ditched effort to fix his image and save his career.
You know his accountant, then?
No I don’t, do you?
I do know that it doesn’t take a month, I do know that he been trying fix his image since the Scandal broke both his and Harvey’s a month ago. I do know he tried to cover up what he knew and how it’s very “convenient” of this to come out while he is promoting his movie.
Once a douchebag, always a douchebag. He always knew.
With Ben Im not so concerned on what he knew but more what he did himself.
Would totally agree. I also think he has a blatant case of the guilts. And is still a pig, too.
“it can’t just be a woman’s issue. It’s got to be a men’s issue as well.”
It’s a men’s issue, period.
For freaking real. We’ve allowed men to run this world too long. This is what we get. Men with blinders on to literally every single thing that doesn’t effect them. That’s why this has to start effecting them.
“it can’t just be a woman’s issue. It’s got to be a men’s issue as well.”
It’s a men’s issue, period.
It’s a start. I’ll feel less guilty next time I watch Mallrats.
Right. I love Dogma and Damon, Affleck, and Rock all have done some crap I’m not thrilled about in the last few years. I’m sure a few other men in the movie have too. Was Dogma Miramax? I know it’s Kevin Smith.
I’m not saying he deserves applause but I feel like this is a good start. What he said was true, even if it was borrowed from a more emotionally intelligent friend of his. Women need to be empowered to speak up and men need to realize this is not simply a women’s issue. It’s also something men need to be aware of as problematic of themselves. It is their issue as well.
Good for him and I hope he sticks to it. Regardless if it’s image control or suspiciously timed or whatever. It’s more than some people are doing.
*cough, cough* Joanna Krupa or whatever her name is…they’re just saying things to be famous…pot, meet kettle…she just said that so people would talk about her again.
” I don’t think ANYBODY except maybe women understood and recognized how terrible it was”
This sentence bothers the shit out of me. So is ANYBODY men specifically, or white men, or powerful men? Coz those people didn’t know, ok. And Ben is one of those people.
+1 This is the one take away from this interview that I will NEVER forget. It’s absolutely horrifying and yet so absurd. For some reason I imagined King Arthur in Month Python’s Search for the Holy Grail saying Ben’s words, or similar … how no one realized that the plague was so bad….except everyone whose lives were destroyed.
That struck me too. Like NO ONE, except for 51% of the human population, understood this was an issue.
That is a Narcissistic answer. Since BA did nothing, then it means other men didn’t know, and women never talked to men and whatever nonsense he is saying. That is not true. All the men who don’t rape or harass women know it is horrible and wouldn’t even consider doing it. I think we are all amazed at the scope of this, but I am not as surprised about Harvey and his actions as I am about the people around him.
For the life of me, I don’t understand it.
The other nagging thought.
I don’t buy a word. Guilt money and hope no one else comes forward. Whatever Ben.
Men know and have known how nasty some men are and how they treat women. I am to believe he didn’t know Rose was traumatized or that the women his brother assaulted had no reaction.
Again. Whatever.
No mention of the brother? I see sexual Harassflecks stick together, we’re not going to forget they’re serial sexual harassers just because Ben threw some money at the problem for PR.
So NOW he doesn’t want to cash any more cheques from the guy…but he was fine with cashing almost two decades worth of cheques even though he knew about Gwyneth and Rose?
He’s so fake, and he’s such a crappy actor that these attempts at rehabbing his image are just insulting.
Why is no one asking him about why he originally claimed not to know anything? Why is no one asking him about Rose’s tweets? Why is no one asking him about his brother and the way he used his influence to protect him? I want someone to ask him an actual tough question, even if he just walks out.
Eh, he is stil a douche, but at least some good organisations will have a little extra funding. Frankly, more than I expect from this clueless dude-bro.
I’ll give kudos to Smith. I really don’t think this would have happened if he hadn’t made this decision and forced the others’ hands. There are a few more names who would be wise to pitch in. I don’t care about their true motives, I just like that these organizations are getting support.
I wonder what Silent Bob knows/knew.
Kevin Smith knew too though…sigh. Everyone bought that crap he bought hook line & sinker. He’s a narcissistic douchebag, too. Please.
Affleck is messy as hell, but like most drunks his heart is kind. I value his attempts at the right thing much more than Damon’s fake boy scout, ah shucks, farmboy routine.
His heart is kind? I gently disagree that his motivation here is kindness. He’s shown himself capable of some very unkind stuff. He’s all about the PR.
What kind heart?? This is nothing more theN another attempt fix his image. He’ll Ben couldn’t even be bothered to remember the what the organization was for.
I rarely say this but I need proof of this kind heart before I believe that. What in the world makes you say that?
The women he groped probably didn’t think his heart was so kind.
I have never met a kind man who treats his wife like he did and does. Nothing in his actions tell me this man has a kind heart.
100%
Exactly
Willing to bet that Garner or one of his PR specialists suggested doing this after seeing the positive reaction towards Kevin Smith. Ben Affleck is a jerk but Garner reigned him in as much as she could during their marriage. I don’t think we’ll be hearing rape accusations from anyone during their marriage, only reports of affairs and inappropriate touching/groping. A man like this will never do any genuine self reflection, but at least he was backed into a corner to the point where he and his handlers thought this donation would be a nice gesture to further bury those groping accusations. Affleck will continue to receive chances in Hollywood, and he will continue to mess up. It’s a never ending cycle with him.
Well, his efforts have failed. The Washington Post called him out today for his phony and frantic damage control.
Yes he had behaved wholly inappropriate but maybe he is actually genuine here. If future actions prove otherwise that’s another thing .. Seems if men say or do nothing they are called out but if they appear to be trying that’s no good either ..??? Those pictures of Jason Mimoa , ugh , looks like a huge creepy Neanderthal ! What is the appeal?!
Were is the genuinely here? It’s called a image fixer he could have do this when the Weinstein story first came out. What he did instead was deny he knew a anything until he was called out by Rose. This is nothing morr then a last ditched effort.
“Future actions” as may slip through the tightfisted clutches of his PR team? The world may never know….
Ben is not “trying” that’s why he is being called out people, the LA times is calling him out as well.
Won’t anyone think of the men!?!
/s
Also, Casey Affleck– we have not forgotten you, asshole.
So after profiting for 20 years he’s going to donate paltry residuals from the likes of Jersey Girl and Reindeer Games to charity. Both Rose and Gwyneth told him about their assaults two decades ago and he did nothing until he had a movie to promote. Ring-a-ding-ding. Give him a cookie.
Eh, don’t forget he rescued that beautiful dog that we haven’t seen him with since.
Mmmmm, this seems suspect but I will give Ben the benefit of the doubt in the hopes that he is doing this for the right reasons.
I just feel that if it were for the “right reasons” he would have been and currently be more vocal about support for the (and his) victims and what is really going on in HW. His silence speaks volumes.
It seems suspect because it is trust your feeling when it comes to these men. Ben trying to fix his image with this he really doesn’t give a F*ck. Remember he lied in the beginning and only came forth because Rose called him out and Gwen statement.
Agree with both of you.
Someone should double check with those organizations that he actually does this charitable act. He might just be saying that to cover himself.
I suspect this is still pro-active damage control. Ben thinks he’s still a “catch”. He does not know how disgusted we are and he doesn’t care. People go to his movies and act a fool if they see him in public. He still thinks he’s desirable and financially, he’s very successful. I see these “Ben’s a nice guy” articles as a pre-emptive attempt to build his image before something comes out about him otherwise. No doubt he has a sordid history of debauchery. Even though I suspect something is going to come out against him – accusation(s), I will be surprised. I have never thought of him as violent or being a deviant. I know he cheated on his wife and that is definitely devious, but he doesn’t strike me as anybody threatening – even work-wise manipulative. I don’t see it, but something is going on.
Ben has had shows manipulated facts to cover up his family history and uses his kids and ex-wife to manipulate public image. You still think he is incapable of work-wise manipulation.
Sorry, but these ‘donations’ don’t sit well with me, especially since there has been little inroads, in terms of identifying the managers/agents who sent these actresses to Weinstein, not to mention Miramax/Weinstein Company employees.
Yes, Affleck is a knob and Kevin Smith has written some questionable sh*t, but I personally want all of the enablers to be the ones compelled to contribute to these organizations. And frankly, the actresses who ‘fessed up should also contribute to these organizations. Unlike many on this board, I am not of the camp that victims should be given a wide berth, in terms of addressing this ugliness. If they don’t want to share publicly, fine, but do something to help change the climate in Hollywood. As I said before, there are too many people in Hollywood behaving like islands and not as a part of an actual community.
Okay, so if I understand correctly Ben is giving money earned by movies made by Weinstein to charity? Or at least something along those lines. Am I the only one that is grossed out by the idea of giving money coming either directly or indirectly from a sexual predator to victims of such predators? If I’d be a victim of a sexual predator, I’d rather die than take his money.
Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Why do they do these promotional tours? Do people even care anymore what these Hollywood people have to say to scripted questions?