Why Steven Spielberg Refuses to Work With Ben Affleck
A decades-old grudge between Steven Spielberg and Ben Affleck nearly derailed a major thriller, with personal history and professional setbacks at the heart of the dispute. Discover the story behind their ongoing rift.
Steven Spielberg and Ben Affleck’s longstanding animosity once threatened to derail Mike Binder’s thriller, Man About Town, almost resulting in the project being abandoned altogether. During a recent appearance on Stephen Baldwin’s One Bad Movie podcast, Binder recounted the extraordinary tale of their peculiar disagreement, which began poolside and spiralled into a full-blown professional standoff.
Origins of a Hollywood Falling-Out
Spielberg, having been thoroughly impressed by Binder’s 2005 film The Upside of Anger, expressed a keen interest in collaborating on Binder’s next venture. Binder recalled their early conversations, saying they discussed themes of power and adversity, and that Spielberg was dealing with a break-in at his home at the time. Inspired by these discussions, Binder crafted a script with Spielberg in mind.
As the project developed, Spielberg was initially set to direct and produce under the DreamWorks banner, but later decided to step back from directing, opting only to produce. Around this time, Affleck, having seen The Upside of Anger, showed enthusiasm for joining the cast. However, when Binder mentioned Affleck’s interest to Spielberg, the director was quick to dismiss the idea.
Personal Grievances and Professional Setbacks
Spielberg’s response was blunt:
No, can’t do it with him. We just bombed with a movie with him. He’s got that whole JLo thing going on now, and I have other problems with him.
Binder then recounted the incident that sparked their feud. According to Spielberg,
One time he was going with my goddaughter Gwyneth [Paltrow], and we all went on a trip to Spain. My son was a little boy playing in the pool. Ben came in fully dressed, and my son pushed him in. Ben got really mad, came out, picked up my son, and threw him back in—and made my son cry. I just don’t like to work with him. Plus, his last two movies bombed. He’s cold as hell.
Binder admitted he respected Spielberg but found his behaviour at the time rather immature. Baldwin, for his part, was left incredulous by the story.
Project in Jeopardy
Ultimately, Binder was forced to inform Affleck’s agent that he would not be cast. Affleck later rang Binder, asking,
Did Steven Spielberg tell you I threw his kid in the water? Is that why I’m not on your movie?
Binder, determined to keep Affleck, pressed Spielberg to reconsider. Spielberg appeared to relent, but the reprieve was short-lived. Soon after, Spielberg’s agent called to say DreamWorks was pulling out. Without DreamWorks’ backing, the film was nearly shelved, until Lionsgate stepped in and released it straight to DVD.
Binder also noted that Affleck and Spielberg eventually managed to move past their differences, particularly after Affleck’s Argo won the Oscar over Spielberg’s Lincoln. Binder joked to Affleck that he could now get away with tossing Spielberg’s entire family into the pool.
Clashing Views on Streaming and Awards
Their disagreements were not limited to personal matters. In 2019, Spielberg publicly opposed Netflix films being eligible for Oscars, arguing that streaming releases should compete for Emmys instead. As a governor of the Academy, he was vocal about his stance.
Affleck, conversely, defended Netflix, stating that the platform was shaping the future of cinema and distribution. In an interview, he remarked,
to do a movie for Netflix is no different from doing a movie anywhere else. We’re just trying to do our job.
He added that the film industry would adapt and survive, with people working to define its future. Given their history, it seems unlikely the two will collaborate any time soon.
Man About Town is currently available to stream on Fubo and Starz via AppleTV.