Ben Affleck will “never, ever forget” the kind gesture Adam Driver made to ensure his son Samuel’s eighth birthday was a success.
The 47-year-old actor stars alongside Driver in Ridley Scott‘s upcoming historical drama The Last Duel, and had impressed on his co-star just how much Samuel loves Star Wars. Apparently, while the little boy understands what Ben and his mom Jennifer Garner do for work is make-believe, he believes entirely that the sci-fi franchise is real.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday night (March 3, 2020), Ben explained that he was in London shooting the film when Samuel turned eight on February 27, but told producers he had to be back in Los Angeles for his son’s big day.
“So they set it up where I was shooting right up to the 27th, and then I kinda had to scramble… and I was going to land right in time for his birthday,” he explained. “We had presents set up and everything was getting shipped and sent, and I was gonna pick it up and go to his surprise party.”
However, when he landed off of the 11-hour flight, Ben knew something was wrong when he saw the face of one of his assistants.
“I said, ‘Where are the presents?’ And he said, ‘Well, they didn’t get here,'” he recalled. “So it meant I had to show up to my son’s party with no gift for him. And there was this sort of sinking, awful feeling.”
“And then he goes, ‘But, there is something! Adam heard it was your son’s birthday. So he called your assistant and got your address and sent some presents, and signed a card and a picture from Kylo Ren’. So I took those presents and went to see my son.”
Continuing his tale, Ben added: “I watched him open all the other presents, and then I said, ‘Sam, my presents didn’t get here on time. But I did get a present from somebody who really wanted to make sure you got a gift,’ and he was like, ‘Who?’ And I said, ‘Kylo Ren’.”
As his voice cracked with emotion, the actor added: “He opened the presents and I played him the video, and it was an incredibly moving and powerful moment. Adam made me a hero to my kid, and I will never, ever, ever forget that.”
Explaining the story is “a really good lesson in doing those small gestures of kindness”, Ben concluded: “Because you have no idea. For him (it was no big deal), but it meant the f**king world to me. It meant so much.”
