Director Kevin Smith went on Facebook Live last night to apologize to Ben Affleck for a story he told at Outfest over the weekend which was picked up by media and distorted.
The story was about Smith’s direction of Affleck in Chasing Amy when Affleck was 23 and Affleck kissed a guy in the film and told Smith that it was
According to Smith’s story, a naive Affleck said at the time, ‘A man kissing another man is the greatest acting challenge an actor can ever face.’ adding ‘Now, I’m a serious actor’ when he had finished the scene.
Like a game of telephone, the story echoed through the media and got distorted, prompting outrage and even a furious tweetstorm from Evan Rachel Wood, who tweeted at Affleck, “Try getting raped in a scene. Also, grow up Ben.”
Smith also apologized to Evan Rachel Wood.
Explained Smith on Facebook Live: “Of course, Affleck doesn’t feel that way today and who knows if he even felt that way then? But he could’ve, he was in his 20s. We all say goofy sh*t in our f**king 20s. But it wasn’t something he went out into the world and talked about. It was something he said to me….I feel f**king terrible. You know me. I like keeping peace. I’m not the guy that likes to rattle sabers or upset.”
