Interviewer: Chasing Amy. How do you feel like this film has aged?
Ben Affleck: At the time, what I thought was interesting about it was that it alluded to a spectrum of sexual orientation. It looked at what a love relationship between men looks like.
We have friendships with men that we love very much, and it was a way of looking at whether there’s a continuum or spectrum. I thought that was kind of honest.
Frankly, I found myself having to challenge my own internalized homophobia because I found it so difficult to kiss Jason. I thought, “This is really embarrassing. This is clearly some internalized thing because why should that be a difficult thing to do for me?”
I still think I did a shitty and unconvincing job of it, and I feel very disappointed by that. I’d love the chance to do better, although now I’m not sure the idea of playing a gay character would be welcome. I don’t want to offend anyone in this direction. It was a movie that, at the time, felt like it was pushing some boundaries. And in retrospect, as often happens, the world has evolved.
Posted by DenialisaRiver04
15 Comments
Is he queer? I didn’t realize that
I always commend someone for realizing their portrayal of a movie or character wasn’t the best, especially in today’s environment. Don’t crucify me.
I remember being a young lesbian and this movie was definitely one I watched, thinking this could have been done better.
I’ve had enough of this man. That’s all.
This fucking guy. He’s a problem but he’s always got something pretty interesting and thoughtful to say. And often in Spanish!
I really love how he speaks about this and how he can be so self-reflective. He’s been doing more interviews lately where he’s talking about film, his older roles, how he’s grown. It’s nice to see this side of him.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought “internalized” meant that it applied to you? Like women have “internalized misogyny” and men have “misogyny. So he (assuming he is straight) would just have homophobia as an unconscious bias?
Chasing Amy is a fascinating piece of both progressive and conservative ideologies blended together to make something that was both ahead of its time and looks all sorts of wrong in hindsight
On the one hand: there are queer people of color given a real voice/agency. There are openly gay characters who aren’t closeted in anyways next to deeply closeted characters who aren’t even honest with themselves. And, in parts, it’s a pretty sex positive movie from the 90s.
And on the other hand… it has no idea what bisexuality is, and its central story of a man who thinks he has “flipped” a lesbian looks very silly to a modern eye.
I would argue that it still has value because the Affleck character is presented as being dumb about how to approach a woman like Amy and he fucks it up by being completely unable to accept who she is. She doesn’t change for him and it isn’t a happy ending.
And I think what he says about him wanting to revisit it now as more of an adult but being aware that he might not be the right actor for the role shows a lot of growth from his & Matt Damon’s Project Greenlight days of who should play what roles etc.
It’s an interesting piece of 90s pop culture that has aged very interestingly
The world has evolved and then again not. The important thing is that you reflect yourself and adapt and try to do better. At least he is questioning himself.
Sincerely
Skeletor 💜
I kinda love this take. Good on him for learning, growing and actually acknowledging/starting a conversation about this.
Huh. Yknow I almost feel silly saying this but I never *really* considered the parallel that the lines were also blurry between the two male leads. I guess I uncharitably assumed Kevin Smith in the 90s wouldn’t be too interested in exploring that. To me, the whole “We’ve all got to have sex with each other” thing was abrupt and almost nonsensical and I thought that was the point, that Holden was just so up his own ass that he thought both of them were in love with him. I think I need to watch this again. Been a while.
Its been 20 odd years since I last saw that movie but while it was kind of clumsy I had a lot of respect for Kevin Smith for attempting to highlight that relationship dynamic between men. There are a lot of repressed homoerotic energy in these male friendship man.
It’s just homophobia. It’s only internalized if he himself is gay
Is it me or is Ben Affleck a good egg?
Don’t get me wrong, issues with alcohol, gambling, can’t keep a relationship, but it seems like his heart is usually in the right place, more or less?
Ben Affleck is such an interesting person to me. He has his demons but he generally seems like a thoughtful and introspective individual.
It makes me want to root for him even though I’m not quite sure if I _should_ be.
(Fwiw, I find Ben significantly more likable than Matt.)
I think he’s using “internalised” as “subconscious” in this context, for anyone confused, not that he’s purposefully co-opting our language or coming out as gay.