Interview by: Alysa Salzberg
(AlysaSalzberg@TheCinemaSource.com)

*Click Here For Another Interview with Ben Affleck

This holiday season, we've seen films of all genres rush, fly, and edge their way into multiplexes. In a recent interview, Ben Affleck tells us about his hopes (maybe one day he'll be telling other actors what to do), his personal life (including information about a certain someone whose name starts with 'J' and ends with 'Lo'), and why his latest movie, the John Woo-directed action thriller Paycheck, is a cinematic offering that shouldn't be forgotten in the shuffle.

In the film, Affleck plays Michael Jennings, an engineer developing government projects so top secret that he agrees to have his memory of working on each one erased once he's finished it. But one day, his memory is wiped cleaner than usual. Why was he made to completely forget the past three years' With nothing but an envelope full of items he left himself as clues, Michael must piece together his past, a past someone doesn't want him to figure out.

Ben himself is hard to forget. Charismatic and sarcastic, handsome and self-deprecating, in person the actor is charming, witty, and articulate, putting to bed all the jokes you've heard about his being the lesser half of the Affleck-Damon duo. In between answering questions about his new movie, he peppers his conversation with sound effects, side comments, and jokes ' jokes that will often make even the most jaded of interviewers do a double take. For example, when asked what he and Michael, the character he plays in Paycheck, have in common, Ben raises an eyebrow, leisurely leans into the microphone, and says: 'Most of what [Michael] was was a guy who was sort of trying to discover himself and didn't remember three years of his life, and you know, I used to drink a bit, so I know what that's like.' He pauses to let it sink in, and then, just when you're wondering whether maybe it really wasn't a joke, Affleck lets his famous grin languidly stretch itself over his face. 'No, I'm kidding.'

Speaking seriously, the actor explains that he identifies with his role in the film because Michael is someone who 'makes trade-offs for his work and [is] very focused' on what he does for a living. As Affleck goes on, this similarity between actor and character becomes more and more apparent. One of the typical trade-offs celebrities must make is, let's say, a certain lack of privacy. Though this is an interview about his work, questions about Ben's personal life can't help but creep in. Are he and J-Lo still seeing each other' Will there be a wedding in their future, after all' The actor takes the questions with all the patience of a very glamorized, media-savvy Job. First, he jokes that he and good friend Matt Damon will get married on New Year's Day, then shakes his head, calling all the talk about his relationship with Jenny from the Block 'a story that's big enough on its own. It doesn't need my help.' And how right he is. This past year, Affleck's gotten more press exposure than he's had in his life ' not that this is a good thing. He tries not to talk about his turbulent personal life much because, he says half-apologetically, 'I would like [the press coverage] to sort of die down.'

And then there's the 'highly focused' aspect to both Ben and Michael Jennings' personalities. Affleck is not only devoted to his acting career, but passionately interested in numerous aspects of filmmaking, as well. Eagerly he discusses the experience of working with John Woo: 'One of the things that I expected about Jon Woo was that...he'd be kind of a macho, shoot 'em up, aggressive, testosterone-fueled guy, because his movies were so 'high octane' or whatever....Actually, he's the sweetest, gentlest, quiet man, a man of few words, a man of enormous kindness, empathy. I heard a rumor that he's never even shot a gun himself.'

In addition to being surprised by his encounter with Woo, Affleck was also impressed. 'Woo,' Affleck says, 'sees movies as like a choreography of a dance, a relationship between the performers and the camera, and they're always moving and the movement is always synchronized to evoke a particular response in an audience that he is trying to get, be it suspense or be it to suggest love or be it to make the audience feel sorrow. And it's all elaborately designed and quite graceful, and that goes for both action sequences and dramatic sequences.' For Ben, knowing that the celebrated director was at the head of Paycheck was 'as close to a guarantee as you can get that [a movie's] going to be elevated above genre.'

Besides Woo's influence, there's the fact that the film is based on a short story by Philip K. Dick (Total Recall, Blade Runner, Minority Report), whom Affleck reveres as 'an extremely smart, compelling writer, and a guy who also I think transcended the science fiction genre.' He cites adaptations of Dick's work as being 'more substantive, intelligent, [and] thoughtful' than your average special effects-heavy action/sci-fi flick. Affleck thinks audiences will find Paycheck to be an experience full of intelligence, credibility, and 'surprise'. Paycheck 'asks thought-provoking questions like 'What is the nature of existence'', 'Are we just a sum of a collection of memories, or is the whole greater than the sum of the parts, in the sense that we have a soul'', 'Why do we want to know the future so badly'...Does it mean that we're just trying to calm our own fears, and does it mean that we're not enjoying our lives as they happen'' [These are] the kind of questions that don't get asked in your typical Hollywood thriller blockbuster movie.'

One of the surprises Ben's character gets in the film is that he has a girlfriend, the beautiful Rachel Porter, played by Uma Thurman. So, what's it like to realize you've been dating a woman like Uma for three years' Ben laughs. 'No complaints there.' Uma is 'a pro, she's on time, she never complained. She is aggressive and asks questions but it's always focused on making the movie better, it's never about...you know, the subtext is never: 'I'm insecure and want attention so I'm gonna create drama'....And she's an exceptional actress, obviously a great beauty, really smart, and uh, you know,' Affleck grins again, 'you hate her yet''

It's the quality of people involved in Paycheck that drew the actor to the project. And the experience he gleaned from working on it proved invaluable: Watching Woo direct, Affleck says, 'was a real education, and as somebody who would like to be a director, I learned an enormous amount from John.'

Yes, Ben's interested in directing. This is hardly surprising, though, when you think of the interest the actor has always taken in the process of filmmaking. He is, after all, one of the creators of Project Greenlight, which, he says, has been picked up by Bravo for its third season, and will revolve more around a Hollywood-type moviemaking experience this time around.

Though Ben's had a stressful and busy year, to say the least, he claims he wouldn't want to erase any of it from his memory. He also claims he wouldn't want to know the future. Instead, the actor seems to thrive on variety and uncertainty. Just look at how he chooses the films he'll work on, for example. Rather than get boxed into doing one type of movie, Affleck likes to change things up. 'I think that what happens a lot of times is that people get in a situation where they do movies that are successful in a certain way and then...they're afraid...to take risks outside of that genre because then they'll have lost what they think they achieved.... One of the things that I've really tried consciously to do is to do different kinds of movies, to do Hollywood movies which I like and are fun and are thrillers and action movies and stuff like that, but to vary that with movies that are risky, you know, and some of those movies have worked, in my opinion, like Changing Lanes or Jersey Girl, some haven't, like Gigli.

Ah, Gigli. It's strange to think that the Academy Award-winner's even brought up the much-panned flick. But Ben doesn't stop here. An almost nostalgic glow comes into Affleck's eyes, though his sharp grin hasn't gone away. 'One of the things I liked about the train wreck of Gigli was that it kind of was evidenced to me that I was still taking risks, I was still trying to do those things. And, you know, risk-taking means that...you can fail.'

That's a positive way to look at it. Then again, the film probably won't go unrewarded. The Razzies (Golden Raspberries), awards given annually for Worst Film, Director, etc., will be announced soon, and Gigli's chances for nominations are good. 'I'm sure we'll sweep,' Affleck laughs. 'Can you bet on that thing'' When asked if he'd go to the ceremony to personally pick up the awards, he's gung-ho about it...more or less. 'I wouldn't be averse to going,' he starts, 'although I have to do some more research first. Like do you have to go and they throw vegetables at you, 'cause that might not make it worth it.' An answer worthy of a man learning to deal with uncertainty, both in real life and in the movies.