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Ben Affleck criticizes cancel culture in new venture meant to reinvent business in Hollywood
Actor Ben Affleck said that Hollywood needed to change how it worked in order to better align incentives for actors and the rest of the business.
Part of that criticism is that actors take a big paycheck instead of creative control in order to protect against the threat of cancel culture and other pitfalls of the industry.
'I’m one errant remark away from being canceled, or I’m one movie bomb away from never working again.'
In an interview with Deadline, Affleck explained how his venture with his buddy Matt Damon tries to realign incentives to improve the entertainment product being offered to audiences.
"Part of what we’ve proposed to artists when they take on a greater responsibility around the movie is that you then get afforded a broader latitude and freedom to tell your story, but it only works when you have people that are really dedicated to it and bring real passion. When you have that, our belief is you’re going to get the best possible results creatively. You’ll have people that, from both a commercial and creative standpoint, care about what an audience experiences."
Affleck and Damon founded Artists Equity to let actors invest in the projects they're acting in so that they have a greater stake in their success and participate more in the development process.
"We’re all subject to this sort of insecurity in this business. Whether we’re actors or directors or writers, the phone could stop ringing for us," said Affleck.
"I don’t know when this might go away," he explained. "I’m one errant remark away from being canceled, or I’m one movie bomb away from never working again, and I’ve got a family and so forth. Naturally, people seek to do what’s in their best interest."He cited his own movie, "Gigli," as an example of when he made millions as an actor despite the movie doing very very poorly at the box office. "I got a big cash payday for that," he said. "Well, it doesn’t feel right in retrospect because they lost money. It wasn’t the biggest money-losing movie in history even though it was the most famous bomb in history, perhaps. Nonetheless, that doesn’t sit right with me."Ironically, Affleck made headlines a decade ago when he vehemently attacked author Sam Harris for offering a criticism of Islam that was politically incorrect and violated Affleck's tender sensibilities. The viral video of Affleck's enthusiastic support of Islamic cancel culture can be viewed on ABC News' YouTube channel. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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