These are the photos you’ve already seen of Ben Affleck on the set of Live By Night, where he’s playing a character based on a novel by Dennis Lehane. The character is described as thin, that’s all I’m saying. While I was looking for news about Kelly Rutherford in the German press, I found an article on Gala.de calling out Affleck for weight gain and questioning whether he’s stress eating. You can guess what “von hot zu not” means.
We’ve heard that producers on Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, were so concerned about Affleck’s physique that they used a body double for some shirtless shots. (That was a year ago and I questioned that story, but I see it now.) Now executives at Warners Brothers reportedly have something else to worry about. They’re said to see Affleck’s nanny scandal as a liability, especially since so much money is at stake:
“The studio is freaking out over Ben’s personal life overshadowing his role,” a source close to Affleck tells Radar, “Especially, when he is perceived as the cheater with a house full of children.”
As Radar reported, Affleck shocked fans when it surfaced that he was allegedly carrying on a torrid affair behind his 43-year-old wife Jennifer Garner‘s back with Christine Ouzounian, the nanny of his children.
Now the dalliance, which Affleck denies, could spell doom at the box office — to the tune of $200 million.
“Everyone is focused on the huge hit Ben’s public persona has taken,” notes the source. “They are freaking about the plunge in popularity with his big movies coming soon, especially Batman v. Superman and The Accountant.”
Behind the scenes, continues the source, the drama has also ratcheted up between Affleck, 43, and his public relations team.
“They are demanding he play nice with Jennifer to try to repair what they perceive as massive damage to his brand and likability.”
[From Radar]
Even if this is pure conjecture, it makes sense. Affleck made so many headlines this summer that you could tell that there was an entire PR team working to convince us that this was a relatable tale of a down-to-earth couple who worked hard for the sake of their family but just couldn’t hang in there. I appreciated the effort, but it really doesn’t seem necessary. Only a small percentage of us pay enough attention and will remember the nanny scandal in the spring of 2016 when this movie is finally out. Young people, Marvel and action movie fans are the target market for Superman v. Batman, and the vast majority of them just don’t care about the actors’s personal lives. Affleck’s dalliances won’t cost the studio much. He does have a certain image to maintain though, and it has more to do with how we expect our superheros to look than whatever he does on his own time. Still – he’s playing a washed up superhero. I doubt that any of Affleck’s issues will keep this movie from making serious bank. This isn’t Green Lantern.
Ben Affleck is shown on set on 11-4. Jennifer Garner is shown outside the gym on 11-7 and out after church on 11-8. Credit: FameFlynet
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