AFFLECK OPENS UP
Oscar winner talks about his new movie, eventful year
Casey Affleck plays LOS ANGELES the ghost in the new David Lowery film, A Ghost Story. For most of the movie, he’s silent and cloaked in a white sheet with eye holes cut out as he returns to his home to look in on his stillliving partner, played by Rooney Mara.
Affleck, coming off of a best actor win for Manchester by the Sea and an awards season marred by public scrutiny around a past sexual-harassment lawsuit, is back in the spotlight to promote A Ghost Story. Q Congratulations on A Ghost Story. It is not a scary film per se, but it has truly haunted me.
A It’s been great how much people have responded to it. Usually, you have some sense of what a movie is going to be. This is probably the film that turned out most differently than what I expected. Q The ghost costume you have to wear through most of the is incredible.
A I can’t think of another single costume in another movie where so much of the movie depended on it working. The sheet looks simple, but it wasn’t just a sheet. It was hard to get it to look that way. It was a perfect balance of not being exactly scary, but not seeming silly and also not seeming slapdash. Q How did they convince you to be in a movie where you are acting through a sheet?
A I may be unusual, I can’t say for sure in this regard, but when I heard that I was like, “I’m totally in.” The idea of being hidden somehow was so appealing to me. And David doesn’t have to persuade me. I have so much fun working with him and Rooney and his producers. It was a threesecond conversation. Q It’s a fairly contemplative film. Do you think it has a broader audience than just cinephiles?
A I have pretty mainstream tastes. I have an appetite for some difficult movies like (Andrei) Tarkovsky movies or Bela Tarr movies. But I also kind of really just love World War Z, too. And I love this movie. I think it’s really, really moving and romantic and sweet and full of ideas I wasn’t really aware of. Q You’ve worked with David three times now. What do you think his future holds?
A I think he’s one of our most interesting directors. I would bet that he has a very long career marked by very different types of movies in the same vein as the Coen brothers or Stanley
Kubrick. And I bet, just like those guys, there will be a few masterpieces in there. Q You’re directing a feature now, too, called Light of My Life?
A Just finished a first cut. It’s torture. You have to sit there with something you wrote, acted in, were there every day directing. You see the first (cut) and think, “Wow, I’ve made one of the worst movies of all time.” I’ve been reassured by directors who I really love who make great movies that that’s always their experience, too. Q Finally, the year was coupled with both a professional high in your best actor win and public scrutiny of you personally. Do you have any reflections on that experience?
A There were very high moments and there were some difficult challenges. Winning an Oscar was such a high it was an out-of-body experience. I was genuinely honoured by that and the other awards for Manchester. Publicizing a movie is something that I’m used to. That’s part of my job and I have no complaints talking about the work.
The challenges of being spoken about personally in the media were very sobering and they really hurt, especially my family which is what I really cared about. And it was confusing because it was all so at odds with my core values. The more kindness and compassion we can find for all people, the better all our lives will be. And I believe harassment of any kind is completely unacceptable. Bullying and mistreatment of anyone is totally abhorrent. Everyone should be treated with respect in the workplace and anywhere else. That’s what I teach my kids and it’s how I try to live my life.