Kevin Smith Defends Ben Affleck: ‘Dude Has Loved Batman’ Forever
Kevin Smith has added his voice to the chorus of support for Ben Affleck as Batman.
Smith said the 41-year-old Argo star has always been a huge fan of the Caped Crusader, but not many are aware of Affleck’s obsession.
“He brings me into the room and goes, ‘Look at this.’ There’s an office room and this beautiful bookcase – he reached under and he clicked something and all of a sudden the bookcase opened,” Smith said. “I was like, ‘No! You built a f***ing Batcave?’ And he was like, ‘No I built a Batcave entrance!’ When you went in behind the bookcase, it was a panic room.”
Smith added, “This dude has loved Batman going as far back as I can remember.”
According to the Jay & Silent Bob director, Affleck only took the title role in 2003’s Daredevil because he thought George Clooney’s portrayal of Batman would be the Dark Knight’s last iteration.
“He only did Daredevil because he loved Frank Miller’s (graphic novel) Dark Knight Returns. He’s like, ‘They’re never going to make another Batman,’ because this was after Batman had nipples,” Smith said. “So he was like, ‘Daredevil’s cool, and Miller wrote him as well’. So he liked the character, but it was always rooted in Batman.”
Smith said Affleck will “honor the character” and that it makes “absolute sense” to have him play Batman.
Kevin Smith isn’t the only one who supports Ben Affleck as Batman. Joss Whedon wrote on Twitter that Affleck would “crush” the role. “He’s got the chops, he’s got the chin — just needs the material,” he said.
And, of course, Matt Damon said his buddy was the perfect fit for the role.
“If anybody saw Argo or The Town, and all the work he’s been doing lately, it’s way more nuanced and interesting and way more difficult than Batman,” Damon said. “Batman just sits there with his cowl over his head and whispers in a kinda gruff voice at people. Bruce Wayne is the more challenging part of the role, and Ben [Affleck] will be great at that.”
[Photo credit: Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]
