Ben Affleck relates to the “world-weary” Batman he plays in new film Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice.
The 43-year-old actor is the middle of a global tour to promote the movie and admits having a jaded and perhaps a little pessimistic view about the world around him.
“I mean I haven’t spent 20 years fighting crime, but I have had an unusual road and I have definitely seen a lot,” he told news.com.au. “Not a lot surprises me anymore. That jaundiced view of the world maybe came a little more naturally to me than I would like to admit.”
In the film, Batman is characterised as being particularly brutal and seems to have little regard for collateral damage in his quest for vigilante justice.
Accordingly, the two-time Oscar winner notes that the narrative raises some broader questions for America and the wider world regarding the threat of terrorism.
“I think this a Batman who has maybe been taken to the brink by the modern era,” he shared. “We live in such a scary and uncertain time these days and feel so under siege – there are dangers that lurk around every corner even in everyday life.
“It raises this question of when we are afraid of something, we wonder how much of our principles is it OK to sacrifice to make ourselves safe? How much is vigilantism acceptable? Or stop and frisk?”
Gone Girl star Ben added that for these reasons he was intrigued by director Zack Snyder’s reimagining of the classic comic book series and felt excited to take on the character. He particularly liked the idea of the conflict between Batman and Superman, especially their competing ideologies and world views, and was impressed by Zack’s desire not to merely “do another chapter” of director Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
The film, which has so far received mixed reviews, landed the sixth best weekend opening of all-time by raking in an estimated $170.1 million (£120 million), at the U.S. box office. This beats previous Batman films by several million dollars, and will make it Warner Bros.’ best opening should the estimate hold.
