Key Points
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Ben Affleck is reflecting on the DVD commentary he recorded for Armageddon.
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The actor called his commentary for the 1998 sci-fi film the “best work” of his career.
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“It’s because I didn’t know any better than to be really honest,” he said during his Criterion Closet visit.
Ben Affleck’s magnum opus? His DVD commentary for Michael Bay’s sci-fi blockbuster Armageddon, if you ask him.
The actor and director appeared on Criterion’s latest Closet Picks to discuss some of the most formative titles that have shaped his love for cinema, where he declared his infamous commentary the best work in his filmography.
“I was surprised when I heard Criterion was doing Armageddon. I didn’t think of it as that kind of movie when we did it,” Affleck said while holding the disc for the 1998 feature. “And in retrospect, now, I feel like my best work in my career is the commentary on this disc.”
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“People approach me to talk about the commentary on this disc as much as they do movies that I’ve been in,” Affleck continued. “And it’s because I didn’t know any better than to be really honest. I won’t spoil it for those of you who are interested. It is an achievement that I am proud of and didn’t intend to be as good as I now think it is at the time.”
He quipped, “Criterion, when is the 4K coming out?”
Affleck starred opposite an ensemble cast of Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Buscemi, and Liv Tyler in the sci-fi film, centered on a group of deepcore drillers sent by NASA on a space expedition to destroy an asteroid about to collide with Earth. He played the arrogant AJ Frost, but his standout performance came courtesy of the now-infamous commentary he provided for the DVD that consisted of silly recollections and observations that mocked the film’s plot.
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Steve Buscemi, Will Patton, Bruce Willis, Michael Duncan, Ben Affleck, and Owen Wilson in ‘Armageddon’
Some of the more memorable musings include: “I asked Michael why it was easier to train oil drillers [to become astronauts] than astronauts to become oil drillers and he told me to shut the f— up, so that was the end of that talk.” And in response to Willis’ character stating that the “boys make great astronauts but don’t know jack shit about drilling,” Affleck said in a voice-over: “I mean this is a little bit of a logic stretch, let’s face it. They don’t know jack about drilling? How hard can it be? Aim the drill at the ground and turn it on.”
Affleck recently looked back on recording the commentary, telling GQ in an interview last month that he never expected it to endure and that “nobody said anything to me” at the time of recording.
“I don’t think any of the other people listened to it or gave a f— until years later when it was played,” he said. “And I was kind of shocked and appalled that I went on there and started being like…. I mean, that’s all true. Everything I said was a hundred percent true but that’s the point.”
For more of Affleck’s Criterion Closet Picks, watch the video above.
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