Ben Affleck has poked fun of his ‘unhappy resting expression’ after becoming a meme several times.
The Batman actor recently went viral for his ‘bored’ performance at this year’s Grammys with wife Jennifer Lopez, when he appeared underwhelmed at many moments throughout the programme.
And who can forget the’sad Ben Affleck’ photos that swept social media after his Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice press tour with Henry Cavill?
However, on Tuesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 50-year-old put the record straight on his now-iconic expressions.
When asked about a Christmas party he hosted in December, at which the host was a guest, he argued that it was a “common misconception” that he wasn’t having fun.
When Jimmy recommended he “tell his face,” Ben said, “Listen, I have a very unhappy-looking resting face.”
‘This is me content,’ he remarked, looking far less joyful than a second before, eliciting laughter from the audience.
‘This is me amused,’ he added, slightly changing the tone.
‘That’s how God made me. You don’t have to punish me for it.’
Ben was obliged to speak out about his Grammys performance after many people said he seemed ‘bored’ throughout the programme.
The Oscar winner joined J Lo to the annual celebration on February 5, but she seemed downcast anytime the camera swept over to their star-studded table.
At one point, presenter Trevor Noah dropped by for an impromptu talk, and fans were more interested in his reaction than the topic.
‘I had a good time at the Grammys,’ he told the Hollywood Reporter. ‘My wife was going, and I thought, “Well, there’ll be good music. It might be fun.” At movie award shows, it’s speeches and, like, sound-mixing webinars. But I thought this would be fun.
‘I saw [Trevor approach] and I was like, “Oh, God.” They were framing us in this shot, but I didn’t know they were rolling. I leaned into her and I was like, “As soon they start rolling, I’m going to slide away from you and leave you sitting next to Trevor.” She goes, “You better f**king not leave.” That’s a husband-and-wife thing.
‘I mean, some of it is, I’m like, “All right, who is this act?” Like, I don’t keep up. My wife does, obviously. And yeah, it is your wife’s work event. And I’ve gone to events and been p***ed off. I’ve gone and been bored. I’ve gone to award shows and been drunk, a bunch. Nobody ever once said I’m drunk. [But at the Grammys] they were like, “He’s drunk.” And I thought, that’s interesting.
‘That raises a whole other thing about whether or not it’s wise to acknowledge addiction because there’s a lot of compassion, but there is still a tremendous stigma, which is often quite inhibiting. I do think it disincentivizes people from making their lives better.’