"With three kids...with their individual activities, it turns out that is in and of itself a total full-time job," he added.
For the next stage of his career, Ben Affleck is concentrating on remaining close to home while putting his family first. The 50-year-old actor sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss his new production business with his friend and frequent partner, Matt Damon, as well as its debut film, Air.
Affleck said he was looking for methods to advance his career while remaining in Los Angeles when he decided to enter the production side of things. "One of the reasons I did it was, I'm divorced. I share custody. I don't want to go to Austin and New Orleans and Georgia anymore and not see my kids," explained the father of three.
With his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, the Argo director and actor shares Samuel, 10, Seraphina, 14, and Violet, 17. He also has stepdaughters from his marriage to Jennifer Lopez, Max, and Emme Lopez, who are 15 years old, per PEOPLE. He continued, "It just doesn't work. These years are too important. If I miss them, I'll regret it for the rest of my life," adding, "And then I thought, 'OK, well, if I'm in Los Angeles and I'm in an office and I'm doing this work, I can step out for the basketball game or the jazz performance.' So I protect those things."
"I've found that people are taking me quite seriously," Affleck responded when asked if he felt that was helping him. "As an actor, people look at you, like, 'He doesn't really mean that.' But [in business] they treat it as sacrosanct. They'll go, 'Yeah, well, we were going to have that meeting with the heads of the Five Families, but you had your kid's basketball game,'" he continued.
The actor added, "Now, my parents never came to one Little League game ever, once. But in the modern era of raising children, with three kids, 11, 14, and 17, and three schools with their individual activities, it turns out that is in and of itself a total full-time job."
In other parts of the conversation, Affleck talked about how streaming services are competing with movies and revealed that his daughter Violet has questioned his dedication to the industry. "My daughter is 17. She lives her life largely in opposition to the work her parents have spent their lives dedicated to, where she'll say things like, 'I'm not sure film is really … Do you think it's a genuine art form?' " he shared. "I like the fact that she has this silver rapier tongue. But anyway, I went into it going, 'OK, these movies aren't f****** working anymore. And these are the ones I like.'"
References:
https://people.com/parents/ben-affleck-considers-time-kids-when-picking-jobs/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Frazer Harrison
