On the heels of last year’s critically acclaimed performance in Gavin O’Connor’s The Way Back, Ben Affleck is back with two stellar acting turns, arguably the best of his career. Earlier this fall, he was featured in Ridley Scott’s riveting epic The Last Duel, which he wrote along with Nicole Holofcener and longtime bud Matt Damon. The duo won Oscars 25 years ago when they were both 25 for penning Good Will Hunting.
Affleck has had quite an exceptional career as writer, actor, and director. He helmed the Oscar-winning Best Picture of 2012, Argo (which also won the Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards). His directing credits also include Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Live by Night.
As an actor, Affleck has played an eclectic array of roles in films as varied as Chasing Amy, Shakespeare in Love, Dogma, Hollywoodland, To the Wonder, Gone Girl, and Justice League.
In The Last Duel, Affleck adds levity and brings gravitas to his scenes as the Count Pierre Alençon, a Medieval overlord who basks in debauchery and enjoys the power he wields, perhaps a bit too much. In taking a smaller supporting role, he manages to steal every scene.
This month, he gets behind a 1970s/80s Long Island bar as Uncle Charlie in George Clooney’s gem The Tender Bar, based on the memoir by J.R. Moehringer and co-starring Lily Rabe, Tye Sheridan and young newcomer Daniel Ranieri. Affleck’s Uncle Charlie is kind and loving but also bullshit free. He’s the uncle we all wish we had, acting as a surrogate father for the Sheridan/Ranieri character whose real father is mostly absent. He’s an uncle that encourages his nephew to read. Imagine.
Affleck has just been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for this terrific turn.
Awards Daily spoke to the thesp about the film during a recent press junket.
The Tender Bar opens in theaters in LA & NY December 17th, nationwide on December 22nd and globally on Amazon Prime Video January 7th, 2022.
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