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Ben Affleck Addresses Why He Looks Angry in Paparazzi Photos: ‘I Have Resting Hard Face’
Sad Affleck or Shy Affleck? Ben Affleck opened up about why he always comes off angry when photographed by paparazzi.
“I’m also a little bit shy,” Ben, 51, told Kevin Hart during the season 4 premiere of Peacock’s Hart to Heart on Thursday, June 20. “I also don’t like a lot of attention. That’s why people see me and they’re like, ‘Why’s this dude always mad?’ Because somebody has their camera and sticks it in my face and I’m like, ‘Okay, here we go.'”
The Jersey Girl actor added, “Also, because I’m with my kids and they’re taking my picture. Actually, what I’d like to do is much more definitive than just look at you like this. I don’t mind, you can take my picture at a club or a premiere, with my wife, I don’t give a f–k. Knock yourself out. I don’t notice you. But with my children that’s a different thing.”
Ben – who shares children Violet, Fin and Samuel with ex-wife Jennifer Garner – became a viral internet sensation after he was photographed at the 2023 Grammy Awards alongside wife Jennifer Lopez looking less than enthused to be there.
“I had a good time at the Grammys. My wife was going, and I thought, ‘Well, there’ll be good music. It might be fun,” he told The Hollywood Reporter about the viral moment. “At movie award shows, it’s speeches and, like, sound-mixing webinars. But I thought this would be fun.”
He continued, “And I’ve gone to events and been pissed off. I’ve gone and been bored. I’ve gone to award shows and been drunk, a bunch. Nobody ever once said I’m drunk. [But at the Grammys] they were like, ‘He’s drunk.’ And I thought, that’s interesting. That raises a whole other thing about whether or not it’s wise to acknowledge addiction because there’s a lot of compassion, but there is still a tremendous stigma, which is often quite inhibiting. I do think it disincentivizes people from making their lives better.”
Despite his frustration over the candid photos, Ben later made light of the situation with a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial, which aired during the 2024 Grammy Awards.
In the ad, the He’s Just Not That Into You actor was called “The Boredest Man in the World” during a news segment. “Keep laughing … He’s bored? No, studying. Always watching. I could do that. How hard can it be?” Ben said before revealing his “crazy dream” of becoming a pop star.
While the memes had a lengthy shelf life, the Good Will Hunting star dished to the Fatherhood actor, 44, that his “resting bitch face” might be a more regular occurrence than people know.
“By the way, I also might be somebody who … I do find myself, I’ll be sitting at home and [my family will be] like, ‘What’s wrong?’” he said. “‘Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.’” When Kevin chimed in saying Ben has “resting bitch face,” the Massachusetts native clarified, “I have resting hard face.”
“People are projecting something onto me that I don’t feel about myself at all,” he concluded.
