The Casey Affleck performance that made Ben Affleck jealous: “We fought like cats and dogs”
As the old saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy — something that appeals to everyone, even if you are Ben Affleck and his brother Casey. No matter how bad we know it is for our mental health, everybody compares their own lives to other people’s, including the rich and famous. With every aspect of their lives under constant scrutiny, it must be so easy for actors to feel jealous of their colleagues, especially if they’re related.
Ben Affleck and his younger brother Casey have both done very well for themselves. Ben has had a long and varied career as a leading man, whilst also directing movies like Air, The Town, and the Oscar-winning Argo. As for Casey, he’s an Oscar winner in his own right, having secured the Best Actor statuette in 2017 for his performance in Manchester by the Sea.
The younger Affleck was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor after his turn in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. When speaking to Movies.ie to promote his first directorial feature, Gone Baby Gone, the older Affleck brother spoke highly of his sibling’s performance, calling it “incredible.” However, it wasn’t all smiles.
“I’m so proud of him.” he said, before adding “which means, hey, I’m also a little jealous.” Affleck had been around long enough to know that a great showing from Casey meant more competition for future jobs, but he claimed to be at peace with this knowledge. “We both know how the industry works,” he said. “So, there’s a healthy sibling rivalry going on all the time there.”
The Good Will Hunting scriptwriter was kind enough to cast his brother in Gone Baby Gone, which is about the abduction of a young girl in Boston and the two private detectives working to find her. They may be big celebrities, but the Affleck brothers are also, well, brothers, so the inevitable happens when they spend a lot of time together. “We fought like cats and dogs – or, like brothers – on the set of Gone Baby Gone,” Ben admitted. “But it was all constructive stuff, you know. I think there are those you are close to where any argument is actually productive. Well, most arguments…”
The movie, which also starred Michelle Monaghan, Amy Ryan, and Morgan Freeman, made a healthy return at the box office. It was also widely praised by critics and industry insiders, with Ryan scoring her own Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Affleck spoke of his relief in the interview that Gone Baby Gone went down so well. “There’s so, so much work that goes into making a film, and I knew there was a lot riding on this,” said the nervous first-time director. “You suddenly feel, oh, okay, I did actually do my job properly.”
Since his triumph in The Assination of Jesse James, Casey Affleck has appeared in a range of films from A24’s A Ghost Story to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. His Oscar win was somewhat overshadowed by sexual harassment allegations made against him, which eventually led to him pulling out of presenting an award at the following year’s ceremony.
