“To answer the question, though: I didn't always want to direct. I just liked the idea of it. If a friend was making a short and needed someone who knew screen direction, I would jump in. It would be horrible, but it led to a short, then another, and another. It was like student films.”

American actor and filmmaker

Ben Affleck is an American actor and filmmaker. Born in 1972, he began working as a child and has built a career in film that spans acting and directing. He has won two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck first appeared in the PBS educational series The Voyage of the Mimi, then went on to roles in Dazed and Confused and several Kevin Smith comedies, including Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma. He is known for work that moves between mainstream Hollywood films and independent comedy, with a public profile shaped by both acting and filmmaking.