Ben Affleck is in the midst of a media blitz leading up to Friday's release of Argo. Ben's on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter's latest issue, and inside it, he opens up about "kind" wife Jennifer Garner, rehab, and the serious pressures of Hollywood. Ben's best friend, Matt Damon, also chimed in about Ben's life and work in THR's latest. Matt's been showing lots of support for Ben's latest, even stepping out last night to join producer George Clooney and Ben at Argo's NYC premiere. Here's more from Ben:
- Ben on Hollywood pressures: "Anxiety is a kind of fuel that activates the fight-or-flight part of the brain in me. It makes sure that a velociraptor isn't around the corner and that you do as much as you possibly can to survive. Because Hollywood has a lot in common with Jurassic Park and its primeval-dinosaur universe."
- Ben on turning 40: "It was not fun for me. It's this moment of bifurcation between youth and middle age. One wants to think of oneself as young. One does not want to think: 'Wait a minute! How can I be halfway to death?'"
- Ben on rehab: "I went to rehab for being 29 and partying too much and not having a lot of boundaries, and to clear my head and try to get some idea of who I wanted to be. It was more a 'let me get myself straight,' before it became a rite of passage."
- Ben on Jennifer Garner: "Jennifer played such a profound role in making me a better person. We don't have a perfect marriage, but she inspired me; and finding myself in that marriage and having a child dovetailed with getting to be a little more mature. . . . She truly is kind. She means no one any harm. She doesn't have ill will for any person. She's not competitive with other people. She's not spiteful. It's one of those things where it becomes almost aggravating at times. Every time I go, 'F--- him!' I see in her face that she just thinks that's petty and small."