Los Angeles. At a time marked by the Hollywood writers’ strike, actor Ben Affleck spoke in an interview with EFE about the problems facing the audiovisual industry and the emergence of his production company Artists Equity. Who wants to promote the talent of the artists in a proper way.
“The important thing is not capital and profits, but the human aspect”, Says the interpreter, who recently premiered the film “Air,” the company’s first film that he co-leads with his friend, actor Matt Damon.
Affleck admits to feeling sympathy for the struggles of Hollywood writers, who on May 1 began an indefinite strike demanding better working conditions in protest of changes in the entertainment industry in recent years.
Image from Amazon Content Services / EFE
“It’s no secret to anyone that ‘streaming’ has changed the economics of this business. One of the reasons I started this company was to try to nurture the talent of artists and compensate them fairly for the same.”
Although the productions he is currently working on already have scripts written and are in an advanced stage of the production process, he fears the conflict will escalate and cause damage similar to other similar attacks in the past.
“If we were working on a television series everything would be more dramatic for us, but without writers we can’t develop new projects or do rewrites, which is dangerous for the industry,” he says. Are.
work in the family
Damon and Affleck got their first film break in 1997, when both were still in their 20s, and wrote and starred in the film “Good Will Hunting”.
The film garnered nine Academy Award nominations, gave him his first Oscar in the Best Screenplay category, and that’s just The beginning of a path full of achievements for both.
Nearly three decades later, the actors return in “Air,” a film based on the true story of the origins of the Air Jordan footwear line, premiering May 12 on Prime Video.
The film portrays the challenge faced by Sonny Vaccaro (Damon), an employee of the Nike firm who seeks to close a business deal with the then-rookie basketball player. Michael Jordan.
Affleck directed the film and brought to life Phil Knight, the founder of the sports firm, who was full of contradictions that allowed him to humorously show the contradictions of the business world.
“Knight was a passionate businessman who loved breaking the rules, but also had to run a fulfilling business. I thought people generally like to make fun of the boss, so it was important to give it a comic touch”, he highlights.
“Air” was well received by the public and specialized critics, and the authors of “Argo” can only attribute this success to the talent of the cast, which also includes Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker.
But he does not fail to recognize the talent of his partner. “Matt is a fantastic actor and writer, he always makes everything better, I just live up to his greatness,” he says.
Affleck will also team up with his wife, actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, but this time as producers on a film dedicated to Anthony Robles, the American wrestler born with one leg.
“It is always better to work with people who make you feel comfortable, whether it is your best friend or your wife, they are people you trust and who create an environment of empathy at work, is always important,” he admits.
Lastly, the actor admitted that he currently chooses to work on projects that focus on the complexity of humanity, rather than those that may or may not be a movie.
“Maybe they’re not the roles that make you a movie star, but they’re the ones that make life more interesting.” They say.
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