Ben Affleck Knew His Batman Movies 'Started to Skew Too Old' When His Son 'Was Too Scared to Watch' Them

While Ben Affleck said he initially took on the role of Batman to bond with his son Samuel, he's now revealing that it didn't pan out how he thought it would.

In a new interview with GQ, Affleck shared that while he loved doing the Batman movies, he learned that his iteration of the franchise might have been targeting a demographic that didn't exist.

"I loved doing the Batman movie," he began. "In terms of creatively, I really think that I like the idea and the ambition I had for it, which was of the sort of older, broken, damaged Bruce Wayne. And it was something we really went for in the first movie."

"But what happened was it started to skew too old for a big part of the audience," the dad of three said. "Like even my own son at the time was too scared to watch the movie. And so when I saw that, I was like, 'Oh s---, we have a problem.'"

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Affleck shares Samuel, 13, and his two kids Violet, 19, and Seraphina, 16, with ex Jennifer Garner.

In 2021, the star said on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast that taking on the role of Batman, starting with 2016's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, was to score brownie points among his kids.

"I did Batman because I wanted to do it for my kids. I wanted to do something that my son would dig. I mean, my kids didn't see Argo," he said, referring to his 2012 drama, which won Best Picture at the Oscars. "I wore the suit to my son's birthday party, which was worth every moment of suffering on Justice League."

In February, Affleck was photographed alongside his son Samuel as the two enjoyed a night out together at the Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves basketball game. Affleck could be seen wearing a gray coat and dark jeans for their father-son evening out.

Next to Affleck, his son Samuel wore a black Lakers sweatshirt and gray sweatpants, mimicking his dad's smolder as the father-son duo posed for the camera.

Earlier that same month, Affleck and his son got in some quality time as they again sat courtside at the Crypto.com Arena while watching the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors.

The father-son duo cheered on the Lakers as Samuel sported a jersey featuring LeBron James’ number 23. The Oscar winner went more neutral with his look, in a tan turtleneck and matching blazer and pants. 

Ben and Samuel were captured with matching expressions during one particularly exciting shot, with Samuel holding up three fingers and screaming as his excited dad watched the shot go in.