It’s been a long, bumpy road for Ben Affleck over the past few years, but now he’s sober, the actor is getting frank about his addictions, and his huge, mysterious back tattoo.
In a recent interview with Brooks Barnes of the New York Times, Affleck was asked about the massive, brightly coloured phoenix tattoo he has on his back and the fact he once told media publications like Extra it was “fake for a movie.”
“I resented that somebody got a picture of it by spying on me,” he said, referring to a paparazzi image of the tattoo that was taken while he was shirtless on a beach back in 2018. “It felt invasive. But you’re right. I could’ve said, ‘That’s none of your business.’”
“I guess I got a kick out of messing with ‘Extra.’ Is your tattoo real or not real? Of course, it’s real! No, I put a fake tattoo on my back and then hid it.”
It’s not the first time Ben Affleck has been an expert troll. Remember when he shut down the set of Gone Girl because he didn’t like a hat?
During his interview with the New York Times, Affleck also spoke about how his alcoholism contributed to the breakdown of his marriage to Jennifer Garner.
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“I drank relatively normally for a long time,” he said. “What happened was that I started drinking more when my marriage was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016. My drinking, of course, created more marital problems.”
Speaking about his split from Garner in 2018, Affleck said, “The biggest regret of my life is this divorce… Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame. It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing.”
“It’s not particularly healthy for me to obsess over the failures — the relapses — and beat myself up,” he said. “I have certainly made mistakes. I have certainly done things that I regret. But you’ve got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward.”
It’s refreshing to hear Ben Affleck get so candid about his past struggles. Here’s hoping he continues his road to recovery and finds all the happiness and peace that he deserves.
If you, or anyone you know, is struggling with addiction contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Reach Out.
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