Woke bylaws have dramatically changed Hollywood’s product.
Raunchy comedies are out, with “Ricky Stanicky” being an exception relegated to Amazon Prime. Old-school rom-coms went the way of the fax machine, with the mediocre “Anyone But You” over-performing with love-starved patrons.
Yet Hollywood’s new moral order has no qualms about making hitmen (and women) the newest trend.
Yes, many recent films ask us to empathize with stone-cold killers. They murder for a living, earn fabulous paychecks, and often live to see the end credits roll. And they anchor a shocking number of films. Let’s tally up some recent examples.
<ul>
<li>Brad Pitt in “Bullet Train” (2022)</li>
<li>The “John Wick” franchise – plus “The Continental,” a new Peacock series and the upcoming “Ballerina” spinoff with Ana de Armas.</li>
<li>Michael Fassbender in “The Killer” (2023)</li>
<li>“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” (2017) and its sequel, “Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” (2021)</li>
<li>Mary Elizabeth Winstead in “Kate” (2021)</li>
<li>Jessica Chastain in “Ava” (2020)</li>
<li>Sasha Luss in “Anna” (2019)</li>
<li>Michael Keaton, Maggie Q in “The Protégé” (2021)</li>
<li>Glen Powell in “Hit Man” (June 2024)</li>
<li>Taraji P. Henson in “Proud Mary” (2018)</li>
<li>Three “Equalizer” films starring Denzel Washington</li>
</ul>
Some of these films are played for laughs. Pitt’s paid killer brings a comic, Zen-like approach to his craft. Most movies make it clear we’re meant to root for the assassins. They’re almost always smart, shrewd, and good at their work.
<div id="attachment_710089" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-710089" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-710089" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-864x576.jpg" alt="Brad Pitt and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in &quot;Bullet Train.&quot; 87North/Columbia Pictures/Sony. 2022." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt.jpg 2002w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />87North/Columbia Pictures/Sony. 2022.</div>
This month, Michael Keaton directs himself in “Knox Goes Away,” the tale of a veteran hit man forced into retirement by dementia. Keaton’s character, John Knox, attempts to “cash out” while he can, hoping to funnel his money to his estranged family members.
It’s Keaton’s second time behind the camera. His directorial debut, 2008’s “The Merry Gentleman,” also found Keaton playing a hit man with a heart of gold.
What’s happening?
Antiheroes are all the rage in Hollywood. Blame Tony Soprano and Walter White. The deeply flawed figures at the heart of “The Sopranos” and “Breaking Bad,” respectively, taught us to engage with damaged souls.
The hitmen genre flows effortlessly from there.
<div id="attachment_710103" style="width: 811px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-710103" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-710103" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-462616463-801x576.jpg" alt="Actors Aaron Paul (L) and Bryan Cranston (R), pose in the press room after Cranston won Best Actor in a TV drama and &quot;Breaking Bad&quot; won Best Series - Drama, at the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, January 12, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)" width="801" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-462616463-801x576.jpg 801w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-462616463-300x216.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-462616463-768x552.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-462616463.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 801px) 100vw, 801px" />ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images</div>
It helps that the genre taps into our collective bloodlust. Few films choreograph death and destruction with the majesty of the “John Wick” saga. Every film is a ballet of bloodshed.
Other stories guarantee big, bold action sequences, the kind that play well in international markets.
Ka-ching!
These films also tap into our hunger for redemption. Yes, we enjoy seeing fathers reunite with their children on screen, or addicts come clean after years of hard living. What’s more powerful than an assassin realizing his line of work has crushed his soul?
Keaton’s character in “Knox Goes Away” knows he’s dying, but he’ll use his last days to repair some of the damage done to his son and ex-wife. The screenplay also makes clear that the targets of his handiwork essentially had it coming.
No judge. No jury. Just an execution.
<div id="attachment_710087" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-710087" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-710087" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-1024x512.jpg" alt="Michael Keaton in &quot;Know Goes Away.&quot; Brookstreet Pictures. IMDB. 2024." width="1024" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-300x150.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-768x384.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-2048x1024.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Brookstreet Pictures. IMDB. 2024.</div>
Hollywood also recognizes something about the zeitgeist. American audiences are sick of seeing assailants walk after committing heinous attacks. Soft-on-crime policies permeate big cities, and to see deeply flawed people kill said thugs is cathartic.
Too many stores now lock up the essentials for fear of even more theft.
The fascinating part of this cultural shift circles back to the woke movement. Today’s movies can’t luxuriate in the “male gaze” without triggering cries of “The Patriarchy!” The few R-rated comedies that traffic in “problematic” themes get pummeled by mainstream movie critics. Reviewers pounced on Amy Schumer’s “Snatched” for casting minorities <a href="https://ew.com/tv/2018/05/05/bill-maher-amy-schumer-i-feel-pretty-critics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as the villain.</a>
Many classic movies couldn’t be made today thanks to the new, progressive mindset.
Yet woke scolds won’t go near the hit man genre. No outrage. No calls for their cultural banishment. No hashtag campaigns designed to snuff them out.
The same isn’t true, ironically, for vigilante films.
When Bruce Willis revived the classic “Death Wish” franchise in 2018, critics howled in protest. Even the film’s trailer <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4761804/Bruce-Willis-remake-Death-Wish-labeled-racist-alt-right.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">triggered</a> cries of racism and fascism.
How is Paul Kersey’s one-man war on crime different than John Wick slaughtering literally hundreds over the course of that franchise?
It isn’t. Actually, Wick’s body count is far worse. So is his moral compass.
Jennifer Garner fared far better with the similarly themed 2018 film “Peppermint.” Social critics pulled most of their punches, probably because the vigilante <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/peppermint-trailer-media-hypocrisy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in question</a> was a woman.
<div id="attachment_710075" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-710075" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-710075" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1024920108-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 28: Jennifer Garner attends the premiere of STX Entertainment's 'Peppermint' at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 on August 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1024920108-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1024920108-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1024920108-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1024920108.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Neilson Barnard/Getty Images</div>
That reminds us how hypocritical the woke movement remains. Social justice types rage against “ageist” attacks on President Joe Biden but stood down when Will Ferrell flirted with an Alzheimer’s <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/will-ferrells-reagan-script-actual-888804/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comedy based on President Ronald Reagan</a>.
They tried to cancel country singer Morgan Wallen’s career after he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-morgan-wallen-first-interview-since-n-word-video-deplatforming-i-can-only-come-tell-my-truth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">uttered the “n-word”</a> in a private conversation caught on tape. Yet they rally behind First Son Hunter Biden, a man who <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/06/10/mainstream-media-ignores-lewd-hunter-biden-n-word-texts-to-his-lawyer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repeatedly</a> used the same word in text messages.
The woke Left will rage against a comedian for telling the “wrong” joke or a comedy for telling so-called <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/17/get-hard-review-will-ferrell-adds-to-slew-of-gay-panic-comedies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“gay panic”</a> jokes. If the hero snuffs out someone without a trial they look the other way.
Heck, make the assassin female and they might dub it “empowering.”
There’s little chance Hollywood will slow the flow of assassin-themed films. Some still make serious coin, and crime remains out of control across the country.
It’s not logical, but a part of us feels safer with people like John Wick meting out justice. Hollywood’s topsy-turvy moral compass doesn’t seem to mind.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

eq3Picture1

Hollywood’s Obsession With Hitmen Movies

Hollywood's Obsession With Hitmen Movies

Brad Pitt

Breaking Bad

Denzel Washington

Entertainment

Hollywood

Jennifer Garner

Keanu Reeves

Michael Keaton

Movies

Readers Pass

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-affleck-said-hed-still-be-drinking-if-he-stayed-married-to-jennifer-garner-felt-trapped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jennifer Garner</a> talked about the challenges of raising her three kids in the spotlight with her ex — actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-affleck-claims-comments-about-ex-jennifer-garner-were-taken-out-of-context-it-hurt-my-feelings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben Affleck</a> — and said that despite &#8220;all the mess of parenting, it&#8217;s a gift.&#8221;
During the 51-year-old actress&#8217; appearance on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htY8-FE71Qs">Variety</a> &#8220;Actors on Actors&#8221; interview with actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, Garner and Ralph discussed experiences they had in common which included being part of Hollywood while trying to raise kids and also co-parenting with their respective husbands after divorcing them.
&#8220;With all the celebrity and all of that, I feel like I have a very normal life, and I think you have that similar sort of vibe. And we love our kids,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/jennifer-garner-reflects-mess-parenting-ex-husband-ben-affleck-gift?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-foxnews&amp;utm_content=later-35766668&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=linkin.bio">Ralph</a> said.
&#8220;Yeah, of course, and all the stuff that comes with it,&#8221; Garner replied.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Jennifer Garner and Sheryl Lee Ralph for Variety’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ActorsOnActors?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ActorsOnActors</a>, photographed by Greg Swales. <a href="https://t.co/95ojyOU1Pj">https://t.co/95ojyOU1Pj</a> <a href="https://t.co/CZseHZhanm">pic.twitter.com/CZseHZhanm</a>
&mdash; Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1667547416806019074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The &#8220;Alias&#8221; star added, &#8220;all the mess of parenting, it&#8217;s a gift.&#8221;
&#8220;Both of us having gone through divorce,&#8221; Ralph said. &#8220;You did something that I did as well, and that was maintain as healthy a relationship with my ex for the health and well-being of my children. And with the spotlight on us all the time, sometimes that can be difficult.&#8221;
&#8220;But when I look at my kids, when I see you and your kids, I was like, &#8216;Girl, we did that,'&#8221; she added.
Garner replied, &#8220;We&#8217;re doing it!&#8221;
The &#8220;13 Going on 30&#8221; star previously talked about becoming a mother for the first time with her daughter Violet and the constant attention she got from the paparazzi, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/jennifer-garner-reveals-would-really-liked-being-minister-if-wasnt-actress">Allure magazine</a> reported.
&#8220;There were two decades where it was really hard to hold a conversation,&#8221; Garner said. &#8220;Not in a woe-is-me, poor celebrity way. I was on baby watch every single day. The day after I had a baby, the paparazzi were watching again. They kind of rush you through your life because they’re just trying to get to the next stage of something they can sell.&#8221;
&#8220;I learned a while ago that I&#8217;m way too sensitive to what is written about me, my family,&#8221; she added. &#8220;The only things I have on my phone are the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal. I can&#8217;t even have CNN.&#8221;
Garner and Affleck wed in 2005 and share three kids together. Their divorce became official in 2018. Ralph married Eric Maurice in 1990 and they share 2 kids together. The pair divorced in 2001.

Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck

Jennifer Garner Talks Raising Kids In Spotlight With Ex-Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck

Celebrities

kids

U.S.

Actress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jennifer-garner">Jennifer Garner</a> recently discussed why she won’t allow her three children to use <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/social-media">social media</a>, and how her eldest daughter is actually grateful for the rule.
The star of the upcoming Apple TV+ series &#8220;The Last Thing He Told Me&#8221; discussed the issue during the April 11 episode of &#8220;TODAY&#8221; with Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.
&#8220;I just said to my kids, ‘Show me the articles that prove that social media is good for teenagers, and then we’ll have the conversation,'&#8221; the 50-year-old actress <a href="https://www.today.com/parents/teens/jennifer-garner-kids-no-social-media-rcna79098">said</a>. &#8220;Find scientific evidence that matches what I have that says that it’s not good for teenagers, then we’ll chat.&#8221;
Garner shares daughters Violet, 17, and Seraphina, 13, along with son Samuel, 11, with her ex-husband Ben Affleck.
&#8220;My eldest is grateful,&#8221; the “13 Going On 30” alum added. &#8220;It’s a long haul. I have a couple more to go, so just knock on wood. We’ll see if I really hang in there.&#8221;
Garner was on &#8220;TODAY&#8221; discussing her new project, &#8220;The Last Thing He Told Me,&#8221; which is based on a thriller novel by the same name. It follows a woman who has to team up with her teenage stepdaughter to find her missing husband. She described the storyline as being about “motherhood” and said she drew on real life experiences for the role.
&#8220;I’m familiar,&#8221; she said. &#8220;My teens are pretty great, so I can’t really toss them in there. It’s a different scenario, different friction, but I am familiar with being deeply embarrassing, yes.&#8221;
Garner isn’t the only celebrity to speak out on technology use for kids. Penelope Cruz, who has two children with husband Javier Bardem, also admitted to having strict rules about social media and screen time. 
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1681313451267000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3nO3EKGAEUHbjXmJbALLTd">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
“I really see that that is protecting mental health, but I seem to be part of a minority,” Cruz <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/penelope-cruz-bans-phones-social-media-while-raising-2-kids/">said</a> during a CBS Sunday Morning appearance in December 2021. “I feel really bad for the ones that are teenagers now. It’s almost [as] if the world was doing some kind of experiment on them. ‘Oh, let’s see what happens if you expose a 12-year-old to that much technology.’”
“There is no protection for them, for brains that are still developing and how that affects the way they see themselves, how everything related to bullying, so many things that are not the childhood that we had,” she continued. “[My kids] can [only] watch movies sometimes or some cartoons. How can I not let them watch movies? [Those have] been some incredible moments of happiness since I was a little girl.”

2019 Forbes Women’s Summit

Jennifer Garner Discusses Banning Her Kids From Social Media: ‘My Eldest Is Grateful’

Jennifer Garner Discusses Banning Her Kids From Social Media: 'My Eldest Is Grateful'

Parenting

Social Media

Actress Jennifer Garner is reportedly giving serious consideration to becoming a politician, according to a new report.
The U.S. Sun <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/6934311/jennifer-garner-considering-big-career-move-backed-jj-abrams/">reported</a> that Garner, a Democrat who is now 50 years old, &#8220;has the backing of Tinseltown heavyweights such as power couple JJ Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath, who are urging her to go for it.&#8221;
The report said she &#8220;caught the political bug a few years back while campaigning in Congress for funding of early-childhood education for kids who live in poverty.&#8221;
A source told the publication that Garner&#8217;s &#8220;next step is going to be some kind of political run because she really has a taste for it.&#8221;
The Washington Post previously <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/an-unlikely-ally-for-president-trump-liberal-actress-jennifer-garner/2017/02/27/47caec14-fd02-11e6-8ebe-6e0dbe4f2bca_story.html">noted</a> that Garner is &#8220;a true-blue Democrat who campaigned for Hillary Clinton last year and held a fundraiser for Barack Obama in 2008.&#8221;
She is <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2022/10/jennifer-garner-has-a-direct-line-to-joe-manchin.html">close to</a> Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/news/hollywood-liberals-forking-over-big-bucks-wendy-davis-225023815.html">donated</a> $25,000 to fierce abortion advocate Wendy Davis in her failed bid for Texas&#8217; governorship, and recently <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/jennifer-garner-and-her-daughter-looked-adorable-at-the-white-house">attended</a> a social event in President Joe Biden&#8217;s White House. She also <a href="https://www.upworthy.com/jennifer-garner-gun-safety">believes</a> in clamping down on Americans&#8217; constitutionally-protected Second Amendment rights.
Garner also <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/musk-aniston-pick-sides-la-204252838.html">endorsed</a> alleged communist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-unloads-on-potential-biden-vp-karen-bass-would-be-highest-ranking-castro-sympathizer-in-the-history-of-the-united-states-government">sympathizer</a> Karen Bass during her successful bid last month to become Los Angeles&#8217; new Democratic mayor. Bass <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/far-left-l-a-mayor-karen-bass-im-moving-the-homeless-from-tents-to-hotels-or-motels">said</a> on Sunday that she wanted to move homeless people &#8220;from tents to hotels or motels&#8221; at taxpayer expense.
Garner gained fame for her role in ABC&#8217;s television action-drama &#8220;Alias&#8221; in the early 2000s. She later scored major roles in &#8220;13 Going on 30,&#8221; &#8220;Daredevil,&#8221; &#8220;Pearl Harbor,&#8221; &#8220;Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,&#8221; &#8220;The Kingdom,&#8221; &#8220;Arthur,&#8221; and many more.
She takes a keen interest in early childhood development, as evidenced by her remarks during a 2017 House Committee on Appropriations hearing.
“A brain in poverty is up against it. I’m telling you,&#8221; she said. “A child who is not touched, who is not spoken to, who is not read to in the first five years of his or her life will not fully recover. Neglect can be every bit as harmful as abuse.”
She also <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/01/opinions/home-vising-program-is-important-jennifer-garner-opinion">complained</a> in a CNN op-ed about Congress not providing enough money for government-run programs that take care of children.

2019 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell – Arrivals

Far-Left Actress Jennifer Garner Eyes Moving Into The Political Arena: Report

Actress Jennifer Garner Eyes Moving Into The Political Arena: Report

Politics

Actress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jennifer-garner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jennifer Garner</a> won’t allow aging to get her down, recently admitting that she celebrated her recent birthday milestone of turning 50 by basically throwing a wedding for herself.
In a wide-ranging interview, the 50-year-old actress talked about dealing with aging in Hollywood and said that she ended up throwing herself a spring wedding to mark the occasion, reports <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a41587635/jennifer-garner-save-the-children-philanthropy-interview/c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Town And Country</a>.
&#8220;I basically had a wedding for myself,&#8221; Garner explained. &#8220;I was so shocked that I was doing it.&#8221;
She said it started with inviting her parents and sisters — and soon it snowballed. The actress said that she asked guests to fill 5,000 backpacks with enough food to feed a family of four for a program called Blessings in a Backpack.
&#8220;I put everyone to work,&#8221; the &#8220;Daredevil&#8221; star said, noting that afterward, they all danced to &#8220;Rocky Top&#8221; by the Osbourne Brothers.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;I basically had a wedding for myself. I was so shocked that I was doing it.&quot;<a href="https://t.co/6MFjRLZSno">https://t.co/6MFjRLZSno</a>
&mdash; Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) <a href="https://twitter.com/etnow/status/1585272705749700608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
At one point, Garner addressed the word that&#8217;s been used to describe the actress, which is &#8220;nice.&#8221; She made it clear that of course she&#8217;s nice, but she&#8217;s a person and can be anything but nice, too.
&#8220;I have no reason not to be nice,&#8221; the &#8220;Alias&#8221; star explained. &#8220;My life is lovely. I&#8217;m not always just nice. I can also be salty, and I can be taciturn, or I can be really serious about what I want to get done.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s not that I feel I&#8217;m underestimated in that way—I&#8217;m not afraid to stand up for myself and say, &#8216;Just so you know, this isn&#8217;t going to fly with me,’” she added. &#8220;When that happens, I don&#8217;t want you to be shocked that I&#8217;m a real person.&#8221;
The &#8220;13 Going On 30&#8221; star also admitted that she doesn&#8217;t feel like she has any unfinished business in Hollywood and is thankful she got to raise a family and still work.
&#8220;Do I feel I&#8217;m owed some kind of accolades or something?&#8221; Garner shared. &#8220;Not really. I&#8217;ve kind of played it differently. How lucky am I that I&#8217;ve gotten to work all this time and raise a family? It&#8217;s more that the work truly comes from a place of love. I love being with a crew. I love being part of a crew. And I love when I get to be on set. It&#8217;s different from anywhere else. It&#8217;s just mine.&#8221;

Jennifer Garner-2

Actress Says She ‘Basically Threw A Wedding For Myself’ To Mark Birthday Milestone

Actress Jennifer Garner Says She ‘Basically Threw A Wedding For Myself’ To Mark Birthday Milestone

Blasting actor Ben Affleck after his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-affleck-said-hed-still-be-drinking-if-he-stayed-married-to-jennifer-garner-felt-trapped/">interview</a> with radio shock jock Howard Stern in which Affleck linked his marriage to ex-wife Jennifer Garner regarding his drinking problems, Piers Morgan snapped that Affleck’s comments were a “self-indulgent orgy” that were “cruelly unfair” from “a supremely narcissistic 49-year-old man.” Morgan also called Affleck a “stinking deadbeat drunken husband and father.”
“We probably would’ve ended up at each other’s throats,” Affleck told Stern, <a href="https://pagesix.com/2021/12/14/ben-affleck-id-still-be-drinking-if-i-stayed-married-to-jennifer-garner/">according</a> to PageSix. “I probably still would’ve been drinking. … Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped.”
Affleck <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/ben-affleck-claims-comments-about-ex-jennifer-garner-were-taken-out-of-context-it-hurt-my-feelings/">later told</a> Jimmy Kimmel that the quotes of him on social media from the interview “made it seem as if I was saying the exact opposite of what I said. &#8230; I had gone on and said how much we respect each other and cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first and went through our stuff.” He said it sounded as if he had “blamed my ex-wife for my alcoholism and that I was trapped in this marriage&#8230; just made me out to be like the worst, most insensitive, stupid, awful guy,” E News <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1313533/ben-affleck-sets-the-record-straight-on-those-jennifer-garner-comments">reported</a>. He added,  “That&#8217;s not true. I don&#8217;t believe that. It&#8217;s the exact opposite of who I am, what I believe and I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mom&#8230; it hurts my feelings.”
Morgan opined in <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10313393/PIERS-MORGAN-blaming-boozing-ex-Ben-Affleck-revealed-narcissistic-douchebag.html">The Daily Mail</a>, “It must have been hard enough for Garner, an intelligent, beautiful and hugely talented woman, to have to endure her ex so publicly parading around with Jennifer Lopez in ever more cringe-making PDAs since they rekindled their romance. But when you consider the fact that Affleck was engaged to J-Lo right before he got together with, and then swiftly married Garner, then you can probably double the level of hurt she must feel having her nose now so brutally rubbed in it by the father of her three children.”
Morgan noted that Affleck and Lopez had broken off their engagement in 2003 just prior to the wedding, claiming “excessive media attention.” He continued, “Now they can&#8217;t enough of it – slobbering over each like love-sick puppies whenever there&#8217;s a camera within range.”
Turning to Affleck’s whining that his marriage to Garner left him feeling trapped, Morgan declared, “There&#8217;s one basic rule of any marriage break-up where kids are involved and it&#8217;s this: don&#8217;t trash their mum or dad in public. Whatever&#8217;s gone down in a shattered relationship, it&#8217;s hardly ever the fault of innocent children caught in the crossfire, and it&#8217;s their welfare that should always be the top priority.”
Morgan wrote that he and his ex-wife, who had three sons together, had never slammed each other publicly and had remained good friends.
“This is particularly important when either or both parties have a public profile and the gory details of any divorce battle may get splattered across newspaper front pages or TV celebrity news shows, because once they&#8217;re in the public domain – and many things said in divorce litigation are wildly exaggerated or even plain untrue &#8211; there&#8217;s a 100% guarantee that your kids will one day read it all and inevitably suffer added upset and damage,” he explained, then fired, “So, what the hell was Ben Affleck thinking when he sat down with Howard Stern and decided to humiliate Jennifer Garner in the unkindest possible manner?”
“In a self-indulgent orgy of deeply personal revelation from the man who supposedly hates media attention, Affleck effectively blamed his ex-wife for the alcoholism he experienced during their marriage,” he wrote.
“Really, Ben?” Morgan asked rhetorically. “That&#8217;s why you got blind drunk every night? It was all Jennifer&#8217;s fault for trapping you?”
“This excuse might have carried marginally more credence if Affleck hadn&#8217;t been a notorious hell-raising drinker for many years before he ever met Garner,” Morgan recalled off the wagon, and pointed out that when Affleck emerged from rehab in 2017, he wrote, “I&#8217;m lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I&#8217;ve done the work I set out to do. This was the first of many steps being taken towards a positive recovery.”
“Ben Affleck did what he&#8217;s done throughout his life – he blamed someone else for his own behavior,” Morgan stated. “And in blaming Jennifer Garner, he ensured their kids will now read lurid headlines that suggest this may have been the real reason why he was such a stinking deadbeat drunken husband and father for so long. The truth is that Affleck had a massive drink problem before he met their mum, while he was with her, and after he left her.”
He concluded, “Even by Hollywood standards, this is astonishingly selfish and self-centered conduct, but hardly surprising from a supremely narcissistic 49-year-old man who recently inked a ludicrous gigantic tattoo of a rising phoenix all over his back in a clear sign that he&#8217;s having a pitiful mid-life crisis. It&#8217;s also a sign that Ben Affleck&#8217;s had one great love of his life and it&#8217;s neither of the Jennifers… It&#8217;s himself.”

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‘Stinking Deadbeat Drunken Husband’: Piers Morgan Blasts Ben Affleck For Linking Jennifer Garner To His Alcoholism

Piers Morgan

Ben Affleck is not pleased with the narrative circulating about him and is claiming his words were taken out of context.
The “Good Will Hunting” alum made headlines earlier this week following an interview with Howard Stern. During their conversation, the 49-year-old star made it sound like his ex-wife Jennifer Garner was the main catalyst for his past alcohol abuse.
“We probably would’ve ended up at each other’s throats,” Affleck told Stern, <a href="https://pagesix.com/2021/12/14/ben-affleck-id-still-be-drinking-if-i-stayed-married-to-jennifer-garner/">according</a> to PageSix. “I probably still would’ve been drinking. … Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped.”
But now that fans are slamming the actor’s comments, he’s backtracking while claiming the whole conversation requires context, not just one little snippet. Affleck sat down with Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday night to try and clear his name.
Affleck said the quotes making round on social media, &#8220;made it seem as if I was saying the exact opposite of what I said.&#8221;
He explained, &#8220;I had gone on and said how much we respect each other and cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first and went through our stuff.&#8221;
Affleck said the quote made him sound like he, &#8220;blamed my ex-wife for my alcoholism and that I was trapped in this marriage&#8230; just made me out to be like the worst, most insensitive, stupid, awful guy.&#8221;
But the Academy Award winner claims none of these claims represent how he really feels, E News <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1313533/ben-affleck-sets-the-record-straight-on-those-jennifer-garner-comments">reported</a>.
&#8220;That&#8217;s not true,” Affleck told Kimmel. “I don&#8217;t believe that. It&#8217;s the exact opposite of who I am, what I believe and I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mom&#8230; it hurts my feelings.&#8221;
Originally, the actor had explained that turning to alcohol was a way of coping with stress and depression. But he stayed in the marriage despite being unhappy for the sake of the three children Garner and Affleck share.
&#8220;I was like, &#8216;I can&#8217;t leave because of my kids, but I&#8217;m not happy, what do I do?&#8217; And what I did was [I] drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution,&#8221; the “Justice League” star told Stern during their conversation.
Eventually, he and Garner agreed that they didn&#8217;t want their relationship to &#8220;be the model that our kids see of marriage.&#8221;
And this wasn’t the first time Affleck got personal about his struggle with alcoholism. The Daily Wire reported that the star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-affleck-calls-divorce-biggest-regret-details-alcoholism-struggle">detailed his addiction</a> during a 2020 interview as well.
“People with compulsive behavior, and I am one, have this kind of basic discomfort all the time that they’re trying to make go away,” the actor told The New York Times in 2020. “You’re trying to make yourself feel better with eating or drinking or sex or gambling or shopping or whatever. But that ends up making your life worse. Then you do more of it to make that discomfort go away. Then the real pain starts. It becomes a vicious cycle you can’t break.”
He continued, blaming himself for harming his marriage. “I drank relatively normally for a long time&#8230;.What happened was that I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016. My drinking, of course, created more marital problems.”

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Ben Affleck Claims Comments About Ex Jennifer Garner Were Taken Out of Context: ‘It Hurt My Feelings’

Actor Ben Affleck seemed to blame his marriage to actress Jennifer Garner for his substance abuse during a recent interview with host Howard Stern.
Affleck, who has been open about his alcoholism, said on SiriusXM&#8217;s &#8220;The Howard Stern Show&#8221; that he felt &#8220;trapped&#8221; in his marriage to the actress, with whom he has children, and would &#8220;still&#8221; be in the throes of alcoholism if they were still together.
“We probably would’ve ended up at each other’s throats,&#8221; Affleck told Stern, <a href="https://pagesix.com/2021/12/14/ben-affleck-id-still-be-drinking-if-i-stayed-married-to-jennifer-garner/">according</a> to PageSix. &#8220;I probably still would’ve been drinking. &#8230; Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped.”
“I was like, ‘I can’t leave because of my kids, but I’m not happy, what do I do?’ And what I did was [I] drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution,&#8221; the 49-year-old continued.
“Ultimately, we tried, we tried, we tried because we had kids, but both of us felt like we didn’t want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage.&#8221;
The couple, who have three kids together — Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9 — finalized their divorce in 2018, the same year Affleck checked into rehab for his addiction. Garner famously drove him to the rehab center.
“Everything you read [in the news about the divorce] was bulls***,&#8221; Affleck claimed. &#8220;The truth was we took our time; we made our decision … We grew apart. We had a marriage that didn’t work. This happens. She’s somebody I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn’t be married any longer.”
“We did it amicably,&#8221; he contended. &#8220;We did our best. Did we have moments of tension? Did we have disagreements over custody? Was stuff difficult for us? Did we get angry? Yes, but fundamentally it was always underpinned with a respect. &#8230; I knew she was a good mom. I always hoped she knew I was a good dad. I knew I was.”
Speaking generally of addiction, Affleck said the &#8220;cure&#8221; for the issue is &#8220;suffering.&#8221;
“The cure for addiction is suffering, you suffer enough, that something inside you goes, ‘I’m done,&#8217;” he said. “I’m lucky because I hit that point before I lost the things that were most important. Not my career or money — it was my relationship with my kids, and when I felt as if it impacted them, I recognized it.”
“It was the worst day of my life. I made amends … But since that day, I swear to Christ, I have not ever wanted to drink once.”
Speaking of his children, Affleck noted that they already have it hard with him and Garner being celebrities, and their public divorce did not help matters.
“Me and their mom are celebrities and that’s hard. Let’s not bulls*** each other, right? That’s a f***ing cross to bear, that’s an albatross already,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and then during the divorce, you know they printed horrible lies.”

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Ben Affleck Said He’d Still Be Drinking If He Stayed Married To Jennifer Garner, Felt ‘Trapped’

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