Ben Affleck isn’t holding back — that’s for sure.
The 47-year-old actor sat down with Diane Sawyer for a multi-part Good Morning America interview that first aired on Thursday morning across the country. During the chat, the Pearl Harbor star got real about his addiction battle — and even got surprisingly emotional about going through his 2018 divorce from Jennifer Garner.
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As we reported Wednesday, the Good Will Hunting star hasn’t exactly been shy about calling his divorce the biggest regret of his life. But to hear him tell it to Sawyer on camera here, there was so much more at play — and it sounds like Ben is really, truly remorseful for his role in the downfall of that marriage, at least.
Speaking about the entire controversy, the actor and director admitted divorce wasn’t even initially on his horizon, getting visibly choked up while explaining to the TV journalist (below):
“I never thought that I was gonna get divorced. I didn’t want to get divorced. I didn’t want to be a divorced person. I really didn’t want to be a split family with my children. And it upset me because it meant I wasn’t who I thought I was. And that was so painful and so disappointing in myself.”
Wow. Very deep and dark…
The Rounders star spoke a great deal about his addiction issues and sober periods, too. For one, he revealed there were some deeper issues at play this whole time surrounding his long battle with alcohol.
Affleck explained more (below):
“For me seeing my dad was just, he was drunk every day and that was just life. And then as that got worse, that was really, really painful. And I always said, ‘That’ll never be me. I’m never gonna do that.’ I wish he had been sober during those formative years, but what he’s taught me is how important it is for me to be sober now during these formative years for my kids.”
Affleck, who shares three children with Garner (Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Samuel, 7), is clearly moved by that idea of their developmental years, too.
As he discussed with Sawyer, some of the greatest happiness in his life has come over the last few years when he’s slowed things down and just tried to be a dad:
“I took the last half of the year off and I just got to be dad. Drive them to school, pick them up. Go to the swim meet, come home. That’s where the parenting happens. It’s in the cracks. It’s in the moments when you’re just taking them back from soccer and they say something profound or they talk about how they’re really feeling about something and it’s like that’s where you get to be the parent. That’s the joy of it. And that’s what I don’t want to miss.”
Amen! Here’s hoping there is quite a bit more of that in the movie star’s future, for sure.
Related: Ben’s October Relapse Had His Friends Very Concerned Once Again…
Even still, though, Affleck has a lot of pain held up inside — and he’s certainly caused a lot of pain to those around him who love and support the A-list star. He knows that, and understands there’s little room for error any more as he tries to become the man he wants to be, and move past this dark period.
He summed it up best, saying:
“Divorce is very painful and alcoholism is very painful. They just are. If there’s something that your child is suffering, that’s a level of pain that is not easily gotten past, not easily forgiven, not easily forgotten. And it’s hard. You’re not going to avoid causing your kids pain, all pain. Pain is part of life. I take some comfort in that. I’m doing my very, very best… It has to be good enough. I don’t really have a choice. I have to be the man I want to be at this point. I don’t have anymore room for failure of that kind.”
Wow. Tough stuff to grapple with internally, let alone when your entire life plays out in the public eye…
You can watch the Argo director speak more about this entire ordeal in the GMA clip from Thursday morning’s interview (below):
.@GMA EXCLUSIVE: “I really don’t want my children to pay for my sins.” @BenAffleck opens up to @dianesawyer about his sobriety battle and how his dad’s addiction to alcohol taught him “how important it is for me to be sober.” pic.twitter.com/phEcgY906q
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 20, 2020
Here’s hoping Ben continues to get the help and support he needs — and that he, in turn, can fully offer his support and love to his family just as he should.
It’ll be a long road, but the success at the end is so worth it!!
[Image via WENN/Instar]
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