Ben Affleck in 1998’s ‘Armageddon’.Photo: Frank Masi/Touchstone/Kobal/ShutterstockBen Affleckis looking back at the requirements he had to meet for his 1998 blockbusterArmageddon.The actor, 49, is on the cover ofEntertainment Weekly’s February issue where he spoke to his longtime pal and frequent collaboratorMatt Damonabout his career.“I was a little naive about the opinions people would form about me,” Affleck admitted about signing on to portray an oil driller trained to be an astronaut in the film. “Or Michael [Bay] and Jerry [Bruckheimer]’s focus on aesthetics, like, ‘You guys gotta go to the tanning bed!'““They made me fix my teeth and work out and be sexy. Be sexy, how do I do that?” he recalled of the experience making the film with director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. “‘Go to the gym!’ Running in the gym and putting oil on my body and stuff, and it just turned out to be a long-form version of one of those male topless calendars, in a garage, carrying a tire, kind of greased up.“Affleck revealed Bay “had a vision of a glistening male torso in the oil, and he was like, ‘That’s going to go in the trailer and sell tickets!’ And you know, what can you say? We could have made, I think, 400Chasing Amysfor what we madeArmageddonfor.“The Oscar winner added, “It’s funny because that’s the one movie of mine that my kids have watched and they’ll kind of all admit to liking, even though they relentlessly mock it and me. ‘What are you, driving a tank on the moon?’ But they had fun, you know what I mean? They won’t even watchThe Town. So there you have it.“Armageddonfollowed a group of oil drillers trained for a space mission when an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth. The drillers are assigned to drill on the surface of the asteroid and detonate a bomb within it.Arturo Holmes/GettyThe movie also starred Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Liv Tyler. The movie became a commercial success, grossing $553 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing film of 1998.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.RELATED VIDEO:Ben AffleckandJennifer LopezAre All Smiles as They Cuddle Up Courtside at Lakers GameAffleck’s new filmThe Tender Baris now streaming on Prime Video.
Ben Affleck in 1998’s ‘Armageddon’.Photo: Frank Masi/Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock
Ben Affleckis looking back at the requirements he had to meet for his 1998 blockbusterArmageddon.The actor, 49, is on the cover ofEntertainment Weekly’s February issue where he spoke to his longtime pal and frequent collaboratorMatt Damonabout his career.“I was a little naive about the opinions people would form about me,” Affleck admitted about signing on to portray an oil driller trained to be an astronaut in the film. “Or Michael [Bay] and Jerry [Bruckheimer]’s focus on aesthetics, like, ‘You guys gotta go to the tanning bed!'““They made me fix my teeth and work out and be sexy. Be sexy, how do I do that?” he recalled of the experience making the film with director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. “‘Go to the gym!’ Running in the gym and putting oil on my body and stuff, and it just turned out to be a long-form version of one of those male topless calendars, in a garage, carrying a tire, kind of greased up.“Affleck revealed Bay “had a vision of a glistening male torso in the oil, and he was like, ‘That’s going to go in the trailer and sell tickets!’ And you know, what can you say? We could have made, I think, 400Chasing Amysfor what we madeArmageddonfor.“The Oscar winner added, “It’s funny because that’s the one movie of mine that my kids have watched and they’ll kind of all admit to liking, even though they relentlessly mock it and me. ‘What are you, driving a tank on the moon?’ But they had fun, you know what I mean? They won’t even watchThe Town. So there you have it.“Armageddonfollowed a group of oil drillers trained for a space mission when an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth. The drillers are assigned to drill on the surface of the asteroid and detonate a bomb within it.Arturo Holmes/GettyThe movie also starred Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Liv Tyler. The movie became a commercial success, grossing $553 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing film of 1998.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.RELATED VIDEO:Ben AffleckandJennifer LopezAre All Smiles as They Cuddle Up Courtside at Lakers GameAffleck’s new filmThe Tender Baris now streaming on Prime Video.
Ben Affleckis looking back at the requirements he had to meet for his 1998 blockbusterArmageddon.
The actor, 49, is on the cover ofEntertainment Weekly’s February issue where he spoke to his longtime pal and frequent collaboratorMatt Damonabout his career.
“I was a little naive about the opinions people would form about me,” Affleck admitted about signing on to portray an oil driller trained to be an astronaut in the film. “Or Michael [Bay] and Jerry [Bruckheimer]’s focus on aesthetics, like, ‘You guys gotta go to the tanning bed!'”
“They made me fix my teeth and work out and be sexy. Be sexy, how do I do that?” he recalled of the experience making the film with director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. “‘Go to the gym!’ Running in the gym and putting oil on my body and stuff, and it just turned out to be a long-form version of one of those male topless calendars, in a garage, carrying a tire, kind of greased up.”
Affleck revealed Bay “had a vision of a glistening male torso in the oil, and he was like, ‘That’s going to go in the trailer and sell tickets!’ And you know, what can you say? We could have made, I think, 400Chasing Amysfor what we madeArmageddonfor.”
The Oscar winner added, “It’s funny because that’s the one movie of mine that my kids have watched and they’ll kind of all admit to liking, even though they relentlessly mock it and me. ‘What are you, driving a tank on the moon?’ But they had fun, you know what I mean? They won’t even watchThe Town. So there you have it.”
Armageddonfollowed a group of oil drillers trained for a space mission when an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth. The drillers are assigned to drill on the surface of the asteroid and detonate a bomb within it.
Arturo Holmes/Getty
The movie also starred Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Liv Tyler. The movie became a commercial success, grossing $553 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing film of 1998.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
RELATED VIDEO:Ben AffleckandJennifer LopezAre All Smiles as They Cuddle Up Courtside at Lakers Game
Affleck’s new filmThe Tender Baris now streaming on Prime Video.
source: people.com
