Ben Affleck’s career is filled with many beloved movies, but there is one classic from early in his career you might not have known about. Affleck became a household name when he and Matt Damon won the Oscar for writingGood Will Hunting, a movie that also boosted their acting careers. He then went on to star in blockbuster movies likeArmageddon, took leading man roles in the likes ofGone Girl,and even played two superheroes,as Batman and Daredevil.
Affleck’s Hollywood careerhas been a fascinating one, as a series of flops, including the infamousGigli, nearly ended his career, only for him to turn to directing and reinvent himself as a great filmmaker. The recentsuccess ofThe Accountant 2proves he is still an actor audiences want to see. However, many of those fans might have missed him in his small early role in a movie that is now considered a classic.
Ben Affleck Is An Extra In Field Of Dreams
Field Of Dreams Marks The First Time Affleck And Matt Damon Were In A Movie Together
Long before the world knew who Ben Affleck was, the aspiring actor appeared as an extra inField of Dreams.The Kevin Costner sports moviefollows a farmer in Iowa who hears a voice that instructs him to build a baseball field in his cornfield, resulting in something magical. While the movie features one of Costner’s best performances, as well as standout supporting roles for Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones, and Burt Lancaster, Affleck is harder to spot.
Spotting Affleck in the crowd in Field of Dreams is no easy task, and it is unclear if he actually ended up in the finished movie at all.
BothAffleck and Matt Damonappear as extras in the movie, among the crowd at a baseball game. The two young actors jumped at the opportunity as it was filming in Fenway Park, and they are lifelong Boston Red Socks fans. Kevin Costner even recently revealed that he remembers meeting Damon and Affleck during the shoot.
IncludingField of Dreamsand the upcomingRIP, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have appeared in 14 movies together.
Costner would later share the screen with Affleck in a more substantial way as they both starred in the dramaCompany Men. However, spotting Affleck in the crowd inField of Dreamsis no easy task, and it is unclear if he actually ended up in the finished movie at all.
Other Early Ben Affleck Roles You May Not Know About
Affleck’s Voice Was Dubbed In An Early Role
Ben Affleck may be one of the most recognizable stars in Hollywood now, but there was a time when he appeared in much smaller roles that fans might have overlooked. In the early days of his career, Affleck had a tendency to appear in a lot of ’90s movies filled with future stars. While his role as the bully O’Bannon is widely known, some of these earlier movies had even smaller roles for the future Oscar-winner.
These roles may not have stood out to fans at the time, but they are fun to look back on now, knowing the career Affleck would build for himself.
BeforeBuffy the Vampire Slayerwas made into the hit TV show from the 90s, it was originally a campy teen horror-comedy movie. Kristy Swanson starred as the titular teen vampire hunter in the movie, but the cast also included Hilary Swank, David Arquette, and Thomas Jane.Affleck had a small appearance as a basketball player, and his one line in the movie was dubbed by another actor.
While Affleck and Matt Damon did appear inField of Dreamstogether, their first collaboration in which they had credited roles was the 1992 dramaSchool Ties. The movie tells the story of a young Jewish student who faces antisemitism at a private school in the 1950s. While Damon gets the lead villain role as the self-important bigot who targets Brendan Fraser’s David, Affleck isn’t as prominent, simply playing one of the supporting roles as a similarly bigoted classmate.Yellowstonestar Cole Hauser also appears in the movie.
These roles may not have stood out to fans at the time, but they are fun to look back on now, knowing the career Affleck would build for himself. Indeed, even these smaller roles helped to establish his future success, and as is clear from the likes ofSchool TiesandField of Dreams, set the foundation for his future collaborations with Damon.
