Video footage shared on TikTok showing Ben Affleck appearing to ignore a fan who said 'hello' to him has gone viral, sparking a debate about how celebrities are expected to respond to fans who approach them in public. Watch the awkward interaction here:
The footage, shared by Jaime Núñez, ( @nunezj182 ) appears to be a screen recording of someone else's Instagram story. The on-screen caption read, "One of my good friends saw Ben Affleck when he passed by. He said hi but Ben ignored him."
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In the clip, Affleck can be seen ascending the escalator, dressed casually and wearing a baseball cap with no entourage in sight. As he gets closer he starts to look up at his surroundings and appears to crack a brief smile, seemingly trying his hardest not to look directly in the camera that's pointed straight at him.
The fan can be heard greeting Affleck as he walks past but the actor completely no-sells the encounter. It's unclear whether he doesn't hear or simply doesn't want to acknowledge the fan, but as he reaches the top of the escalator he walks straight off without giving the fan a second glance.
Núñez captioned the TikTok: "He may seem like a dick, but Celebs do this cuz they don't want to garner attention."
Since posting on TikTok, the clip has received more than 685,000 views and has sparked a debate in the comment section as people come to Affleck's aid to highlight some of the difficulties of being such a high-profile celebrity.
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"Seriously? About 400 people a day probably say hi to him. He probably can't even keep a train of thought," one user commented.
Another said, "That happens to him 1,000 times a day. Has to get old."
Someone else wrote, "He's minding his own business... celebs aren't zoo animals. Let them be. I have seen 3 celebs irl and never bothered them or said anything."
However, others were more critical of the encounter and chided the actor for not being empathetic enough.
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"Fame comes with a price just saying be humble and nice to fans," one person said, while someone else commented, "Be humble Ben. Your fans are the ones who get you paid."
Others shared stories of positive interactions they have heard or experienced first-hand about Affleck.
One person wrote: "Husband worked at The Bellagio for years. Ben was always very nice and an amazing tipper."
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"I met Ben in Vegas back in 2002 at Mirage Sportsbook... coolest dude ever... him and I talked about baseball for 10 minutes and then shook my hand," another person recalled.
All in all, whether you're pro or anti-Affleck It's important to remember that celebrities are people too, and you probably shouldn't take it too personally if they ignore you in public.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: TikTok