Ben Affleck took a nostalgic trip down memory lane while appearing on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ recently, sharing fond memories from his childhood in Cambridge.
The Oscar-winning star was on the show to promote his upcoming film, ‘The Accountant 2’, but what followed was a heartfelt discussion about his experiences growing up in the Boston area.
Affleck described himself as an “actual latchkey kid,” revealing how he often navigated his way to school and the movies independently, a common practice for children in the 1970s.
“From first grade, I had a key with a piece of yarn around my neck,” he recalled. “I remember seeing ‘Star Wars’ and took the subway like three stops. I must’ve seen it 20 times.”
He reflected on how such freedoms would likely raise concern in today’s society. “If you did that in West LA now, they would call Child Protective Services, like this man has to be imprisoned,” Affleck joked, adding, “So either my parents were very derelict or it was a different era — or both.”
In addition to ‘Star Wars’, Affleck shared how another significant film from his youth was ‘Back to the Future’. He remembered his excitement riding home on the T after seeing the film, thinking to himself, “that is the best movie ever made.”
A year later, he had the opportunity to meet the film’s Doc Brown, portrayed by Christopher Lloyd. Affleck described this encounter as his first celebrity experience, noting, “I saw him on the street; I had never seen a celebrity or an actor before in my life.”
He candidly admitted to tailing Lloyd for ten blocks, revealing, “I literally stalked the man.”
The discussion moved to Affleck’s early experiences in the film industry, specifically recalling his time as a background actor at Fenway Park in the baseball movie ‘Field of Dreams’.
He and his friend Matt Damon landed the roles after making connections with a local casting director. Affleck recounted a previous discussion with Kevin Costner, who had mentioned remembering both actors on set.
However, Affleck humbly believed Costner was just being kind, stating, “We were not memorable. We were like just annoying, you know what I mean?”
He humorously added that it was sweet of Costner to comment, but he was fairly certain the actor remembered those with actual lines in the film.
Despite that, Affleck vividly remembered his time on the set, likening it to “seeing God” when he saw both Costner and James Earl Jones present.
He reminisced about the grandeur of the two days of filming, recalling how everything felt significant, especially when watching Costner hit baseballs during batting practice.
“He banged a bunch of balls off the Green Monster, hit a ball out of the park,” Affleck said, further adding to the fun by poking light-hearted fun at Damon.
He cited Damon’s earlier claim of hitting a ball off the Fenway Park wall, jokingly asking, “Matt, are you remembering yourself as Kevin Costner?”
To balance the laughter, Kimmel shared an old clip featuring Affleck and Damon’s first role together as extras in ‘The Good Mother,’ a film released in 1988 and partly shot in Boston.
Affleck’s excitement about the fact that Spock, Leonard Nimoy, directed the film was evident as he mentioned, “The thing that really impressed me was that Spock was the director.”
As the brief scene played, Affleck humorously remarked, “These guys are going somewhere,” leaving the audience with a sense of nostalgia and laughter.
The captivating conversation showcased not only Affleck’s charm and humor but also celebrated his journey from a Boston boy with a key to the glimmering lights of Hollywood.
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