8 Things You Didn’t Know About Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck is one of the world’s most famous actors. For the previous three decades, he’s been a starring man in Hollywood, delivering innumerable legendary performances time and again.

He’s a very public figure, but a lot is still unknown about him. Get to know the man behind the cowl by reading these 8 facts about Ben Affleck that fans didn’t know.

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Ben Affleck

1. Led His Childhood Friend Matt Damon To Acting

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were childhood pals who grew up just two blocks apart. Affleck was already a child celebrity in the industry at the time, which led to Affleck introducing Matt Damon to his New York agency. ^[1]

2. Jennifer Lopez Wrote A Song For Him

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck dated for a while. Their relationship’s highs and lows are widely chronicled. However, it is not commonly mentioned that Lopez once sang about the Hollywood legend in her song “Dear Ben.” ^[2]

3. Named After A Holocaust Survivor

His white-bread Leading Man’s name is Ben Affleck; his full name is Benjamin Geza Affleck-Boldt. That middle name recalls a family friend who was a Holocaust survivor from Hungary. Ben’s mother’s surname is Boldt. ^[3]

4. Banned From A Casino

Affleck is not just an ardent poker player, but he is also an avid gambler, having been barred from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in 2014 for card-counting at the high-rollers table.

5. He Was Almost Cast In Clueless

Carrie Frazier, the film’s casting director, revealed in an oral history for Vanity Fair that she wanted to cast Affleck for the role of Cher’s boyfriend and stepbrother, Josh, which eventually went to Paul Rudd. ^[4]

6. His First Acting Gig Was At Age 12

As previously said, the actor began his acting career as a child. While it would take many years for Affleck to become the Hollywood icon he is today, he first appeared on PBS’ The Voyage of the Mimi when he was 12 years old.

7. Grown Up Being a Fan Of Dare Devil

That makes it all the more satisfying that he got to play the horned devil of Hell’s Kitchen in the film, but it would have been lovely if the picture had been accepted more positively by the audience and critics.

8. College Drop Out

He did seek higher study and attended both the University of Vermont and Occidental College, where he studied Middle Eastern studies, but only lasted one semester at Vermont and one year at Occidental. Fortunately for him, a successful acting career was just ahead of him.