Ben Affleck has spoken publicly for the first time since the deaths of both his parents, saying the losses have prompted him to view his childhood differently.
The Oscar-winning actor, 54, discussed his mother and father during an appearance on Kerry Washington’s podcast, Street You Grew Up On, released on September 30.
Affleck said his parents died within months of each other. “My parents just died. Both of them. In April, and in June,” he said.
His brother, Casey Affleck, previously revealed that their father, Tim Affleck, had died earlier this year. Their mother, Chris Anne, died aged 83 on June 2, with her death certificate recording cardiopulmonary arrest and pancreatic cancer as a contributing factor.
Affleck said he had gained a deeper appreciation of his mother after her death, particularly after reading letters she had written to his parents from her early adulthood.
“This sounds like a crazy thing to say, but it was really weird for me to read these letters, first of all as this young woman, full of life and ambition and dreams,” he said.
The letters showed him that his mother had lived a full life before becoming a parent. “This woman had her own whole life for 30 years that had zero to do with me,” he said.
Affleck said he was struck by the extent to which Chris Anne had devoted herself to him and his brother, despite having her own interests and ambitions.
“All I knew was a person who just made me and my brother the absolute most important centre of her life,” he said. “She was gorgeous and smart and thoughtful and passionate, and I just thought, ‘This woman’s amazing. She can do anything.’”
Chris Anne worked as a primary school teacher, teaching fifth and sixth grade in a public school. Affleck said she would stay at work for several hours after finishing lessons before returning home to take care of the family.
He also reflected on his parents’ divorce in 1984, when he was about 11. Affleck said there had been “a lot of friction” between them and that, despite trying to appear upset when they announced their separation, he had actually felt relieved.
“I remember thinking, ‘I should try to look sad.’ That’s what I thought. I was like, ‘Can I try to cry? Should I be sad?’ But I was so happy,” he recalled.
Affleck said he had felt sadness for his mother during the marriage, believing she deserved greater happiness and love. He described his father at the time as drinking too much, unemployed and becoming increasingly angry and resentful.
