`A definite reminder'
Casey Affleck laughs to hear his latest movie called “a hard watch, but in a good way.”
“I've certainly been in some hard watches the other way,” he says. “So I'm glad to hear it was an affecting movie and a hard watch in a good way. That's nice to hear.”
The Gabriela Cowperthwaite-directed drama Our Friend (available on demand) casts Affleck and Dakota Johnson as a couple whose perfect family life comes undone after she is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Jason Segel plays the friend of the title, who moves in to help them keep their household together.
Affleck spoke from Los Angeles, where he is quarantining with his two children.
Q This film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival in 2019. But in the midst of a pandemic, do you think it will take on a new resonance with audiences at home?
A Sometimes when everyone's busy and things are going well, they might not respond as much to a movie that's about the value of friendship. This movie is about how we have to face really hard times, but it's also about friendship in a way that is meaningful.
Q What interested you?
A I had been looking for things that were moving, but also uplifting. (This) fit the bill. Sometimes you have to take a leap when you decide what you want to be a part of, but this felt like a good thing to take a leap on.
Q Did you come away with a deeper appreciation for the friendships in your own life?
A I was already feeling that way in life. I was pretty focused on the relationships that were positive in my life, that were additive and meant a lot to me. I had a better understanding of just how important they are. But it is a definite reminder, and this year has been a reminder, when times get tough, it's really those relationships that prop you up.
Q I'm sure after Manchester by the Sea, you had all sorts of offers. How are you navigating this section of your career?
A I wish I could say I had some master plan and I've been executing it perfectly, but sometimes you do the thing that's in front of you and hope for the best. After Manchester by the Sea I had more options, but it's not like the whole world was open to me. But I don't want to do movies that will take me away from my kids for six months.
Q You got your start in To Die For and Good Will Hunting in the '90s. Then you went back to school before returning to acting. What brought you back? A I never found anything else I could do (laughs). There's a level of insanity that's required to be an actor. Most people have to go to work and leave their emotional lives at home. Actors get to work through all the things that have happened in their lives. That always appealed me.
Q Did you have a backup plan?
A I didn't really have a plan B. There were a lot of other things I could have done in the world, and I did have other jobs before I was an actor. Life is short and there's many things to do, so I always feel pulled to do something else a little bit. But I've never been someone who made a whole fortune doing some great TV show or a giant superhero movie, so I have to go back to work. And this is the work that I do.