Why Spielberg Blacklisted Ben Affleck From a Major Film Role

Ben Affleck might look at his best friend Matt Damon's career with a hint of jealousy, especially after Damon teamed up with Christopher Nolan for _The Odyssey_ and Steven Spielberg for _Saving Private Ryan_. Despite a resume filled with acclaimed directors like David Fincher, Ridley Scott, and Michael Bay, the two-time Oscar winner has never worked with the most commercially successful director of all time. It turns out, he came very close once, but Spielberg himself put a stop to it.

A Project Derailed

The story begins in the early 2000s when filmmaker Mike Binder sold his screenplay, _Man About Town_, to DreamWorks. The script centered on a high-powered Hollywood agent whose life unravels after his private journal, detailing his wife's affair, falls into the wrong hands. Spielberg was initially slated to direct, but he soon had second thoughts. Binder recalled the conversation on the _One Bad Movie_ podcast: “He called me and said, ‘I got bad news. I’m not making this movie.'” The reason? His wife, Kate Capshaw, felt “it’s too autobiographical.”

Even without Spielberg in the director's chair, the script was generating significant industry buzz. It caught the attention of Affleck, who was eager to take on the lead role. “Ben Affleck comes to my editing room and watches _The Upside of Anger_,” Binder explained. “He says, ‘I want to do your next movie’. I told him it was at DreamWorks, and he said, ‘I want to do it’.”

More Than Just Business

Excited by the prospect, Binder reached out to Spielberg to get his approval. The response was a swift and decisive rejection. “So I called Steven, and he said, ‘No, can’t do it with him. We just bombed a movie with him. He’s got that whole JLo thing going on now, and I have other problems with him.'”

The “other problems” were surprisingly personal and had nothing to do with Hollywood. The issue stemmed from a family vacation to Spain years earlier when Affleck was dating Spielberg’s goddaughter, Gwyneth Paltrow. According to Binder, Spielberg's son had playfully pushed Affleck into a pool. The actor’s reaction, however, was not taken lightly. “Ben got really mad, came out, picked up my son, and threw him back in, and made my son cry.” This single incident was enough for the legendary director to hold a grudge. “I just don’t like to work with him,” Spielberg told Binder. “Plus, his last two movies bombed. He’s cold as hell.'”

A Twist of Fate and Karmic Justice

Word of the rejection eventually got back to Affleck, who directly questiond the filmmaker. “Ben calls me up and says, ‘Did Steven Spielberg tell you I threw his kid in the water? Is that why I’m not on your movie?'” Binder confirmed that was indeed the reason.

In an interesting turn of events, DreamWorks later passed on _Man About Town_, which ultimately freed Binder to cast whomever he wanted. The door was suddenly open for the _Good Will Hunting_ star to take the part after all. While a director might refuse to work with an actor for countless reasons, a poolside spat involving their child is certainly one of the more unusual ones. Years later, Affleck would experience a moment of sweet vindication when his film _Argo_ won the Oscar for Best Picture, beating out none other than Steven Spielberg’s historical drama, _Lincoln_.