Ben Affleck

Nobody I represent is pretending to be the pope or a role model for young people. People have to live their lives. They have the right to smoke if they want. ”

It's wrong and disgusting to follow children around and take their picture and sell it for money. ”

I'm very insecure. I'm human, just like anybody else. ”

I'm human, just like anybody else. ”

I'm sure I can make a movie that doesn't feel like a seventies movie! But the truth is, that's my favorite era in American filmmaking. To me, those were the great years. ”

There's a lot of noise in the world, and the Internet magnifies that energy. ”

To answer the question, though: I didn't always want to direct. I just liked the idea of it. If a friend was making a short and needed someone who knew screen direction, I would jump in. It would be horrible, but it led to a short, then another, and another. It was like student films. ”

When I look up at the screen and see myself I always have to laugh. Not because I think I'm doing a horrible job, quite the contrary, I just feel it's so surreal to feel like one person can entertain so many at one time. ”

It was a dreamlike time for me from December 1997 to March of '98. Before that, I was basically unknown. Then, bang! The starting gun fired, and everybody just started running. It was learn-on-the-job. And there were more opportunities for work than I had time to do them. ”

I really think that everybody would like to be an actor. Why wouldn't they? It's great work if you can get it. The one thing that prevents most people from saying, 'I'm just gonna go to Hollywood!' is that it seems unrealistic. ”