Actor and director Ben Affleck has revealed how the deaths of his parents, Chris and Timothy Affleck, changed his outlook on life in recent months. He said losing them just two months apart brought back childhood memories and reflections on his relationship with his parents, prompting him to think about death, his children and how he wants to spend the rest of his life.
اضافة اعلان
The 54-year-old Affleck discussed his grief and experience of loss in an interview with GQ magazine as part of its “One More Question” series, published Tuesday, October 6. He said his parents’ deaths brought many family-related memories back to mind, along with a greater awareness of the limited time people have.
“It’s been a year full of life. My parents, my brother and I lost them just two months apart, at the beginning of April and June. That’s a lot, man. And it brings all these things to mind; I mean, your childhood, how you grew up, you see things differently, you appreciate your parents differently, and you think about your death, your life, your children and what you want to do with it.”
He added: “And the fact that all of our lives are so fleeting really stares you in the face in a way, and you realize that we only have so much time.”
Ben Affleck discusses his mother Chris’s death
Chris Affleck, the mother of Ben and Casey Affleck, died on June 2 at the age of 83. She previously worked as a public school teacher and was a civil rights activist.
Affleck said his mother’s death made him appreciate her life and character on a deeper level, describing her as an extraordinary and courageous woman. He linked the experience of losing her to questions about how he wants to spend the rest of his life.
“Life often doesn’t end with wisdom and resolution. The things you didn’t fix in your life remain unfixed. In my mother’s case, she was an extraordinarily courageous woman. I mean, she was an amazing woman, and her death made me appreciate her and her life more deeply and in a greater way.”
“But yes, you face those things and it makes you think: Okay, how do I want to spend the rest of this time? Because you realize there isn’t much of it.”
Ben Affleck reveals the nature of his relationship with his father
Timothy Affleck, Ben and Casey’s father, was an aspiring playwright who worked various jobs and struggled with alcohol addiction at periods of his life. He and Chris divorced when Ben was a child.
Affleck described his relationship with his father as complicated and said they were not particularly close during the final years of Timothy’s life, noting that there were reasons he did not want to discuss publicly.
Ben Affleck: How losing his parents changed his outlook on life
Affleck said the deaths of his parents made him view death differently, noting that real life does not always provide the complete endings portrayed in Hollywood films.
“It’s terrible, but it’s not tragic. You think it’s going to be so sad and not tragic. That was interesting. This is natural. I certainly don’t want to outlive my children. That would be the worst thing I could imagine. So that’s the way it’s supposed to go, but it’s still very sad for me.”
Ben Affleck is currently preparing for the release of his new film Animals, which is scheduled to debut on Netflix and in select theaters on October 9.
