Legendary director Steven Spielberg has worked with them all, including the greats like Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, and Daniel Day-Lewis. But apparently, because of an alleged ‘pool fight’ incident, he didn’t want to tap Ben Affleck.
Regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Spielberg, 79, has a stocked trophy cupboard, consisting of three Oscars and four Golden Globes, among other gongs.
He’s the brains behind the Jurassic Park series, brought Schindler’s List to life, and his next effort, Disclosure Day, starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, and Colin Firth, is coming to the silver screen next summer.
Marvel’s Wyatt Russell, Colman Domingo, and The Inbetweeners’ Henry Lloyd-Hughes are also in the sci-fi flick.
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But do you know one actor who isn’t starring in the upcoming Spielberg feature? Ben Affleck.
Apparently, the father-of-seven once passed on a project starring the 53-year-old Good Will Hunting actor, claiming he ‘couldn’t do it’ if he was attached. Well, that’s according to Reign Over Me filmmaker Mike Binder, anyways.
Binder, 67, made the jaw-dropping allegation on a recent episode of Stephen Baldwin’s One Bad Movie podcast.
The tale goes that Spielberg was interested in coming on board for 2006’s Man About Town, which stars Affleck as Hollywood talent agent Jack Giamoro.
“He said, 'We gotta do something together. I want you to write something for me'," the Jaws favourite reportedly told Binder.
The comedian recalled: “We make a deal that he’s gonna do it, we shake hands, he’ll do it.”
But things allegedly took a turn when Affleck signed on for the lead role.
“No. Can’t do it with him,” Spielberg allegedly stated.
“We just bombed with a movie with him, he’s got that whole J. Lo [Jennifer Lopez] thing going on now, and I have other problems with him.”
According to the New York Post, the star may have been referring to Gigli, the 2003 box office bomb that starred Affleck and Lopez amid their first romance.
The pair would later become engaged before breaking off their relationship in 2004. The former flames later reunited and married in 2022 before finalising their divorce in early 2025.
Binder suggested that the ‘other problems’ that Spielberg reportedly had with The Odyssey star stemmed from a pool party.
“My son was a little boy, he was playing in the pool, and he got out of the pool, and Ben came in fully dressed, and my son pushed Ben into the pool,” Spielberg reportedly told Binder.
“And Ben got really mad at him, and he came out of the pool and picked him up and threw him back into the pool, and made my son cry.”
When questioned further, he allegedly told his friend: “I just don’t like to work with him. Plus his last two movies bombed. Find somebody else. Anyone but him.”
Binder claimed he told Affleck that the project wouldn’t be going ahead with him, to which the father-of-three allegedly replied: "Did Steven Spielberg tell you I threw his kid in the water? Is that what happened? Is that why I’m not on your movie?"
Man About Town was eventually released, with Binder and Affleck at the helm. In the United States, it was released direct-to-DVD.
LADbible has contacted representatives of Steven Spielberg and Ben Affleck for further comment.
Topics: Celebrity, Film, Entertainment, Podcast
Ella Scott