George Clooney and Ben Affleck.Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImageGeorge Clooneyonce tried to convinceBen Afflecknot to take on the role of a certain surly superhero.Speaking withHoward Sternon Thursday, Clooneyopened up about his role as Batmanin 1997’sBatman & Robinand admitted that he encouraged Affleck, 48, not to take on Bruce Wayne. Affleck ended up not taking Clooney’s advice and played Batman inBatman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,Suicide SquadandJustice League.“You did not enjoy the experience of being Batman,” Stern, 66, began the conversation. “You’ve said that, you’ve said, ‘Yeah, it just wasn’t for me, I probably shouldn’t have done it.’ ““Ben Affleckcalled you, I guess, and said, ‘Hey, they’re offering me Batman, should I take it?’ You were so down on that experience, you told him don’t go near it, right? Just disaster. He didn’t listen to you, of course, and I thought he did a nice job,” Stern added.“Yeah he did,” Clooney, 59, confirmed, adding that he thinks other actors call him for advice because he’s “been around” the industry for a long time and because he’s experienced being both “a big flop” and a box office success.“I’ve been a big flop and I’ve bombed in things, and I’ve had big successes, and it doesn’t mean they’ve listened — Ben didn’t listen to me, and he ended up doing a great job and I was wrong,” Clooney said. “But hey, I can only impart my wisdom from my experience and I just said, ‘Don’t have nipples on the suit.’ “George Clooney inBatman & Robin(1997).getty imagesBen Affleck as Batman.Warner Bros. Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection"You gotta remember, at that point, I was just an actor getting an acting job. I wasn’t the guy that could green-light a movie,” theCatch-22star and executive producer said of being Batman. “They paid Arnold [Schwarzenegger] $25 million to be in it, they paid me like, $1. And we never even worked together, we never saw each other. It’s a big monster machine and I just sort of jumped in and did what they said.“Clooney added that he’ll never watchBatman & Robinagain, saying of the action flick, “It’s so bad, it actually hurts. Like you’ll be flipping the channels, and it’ll just pop up and I’ll be like [gasp!] ‘Oh no, no, no, no.’ "
George Clooney and Ben Affleck.Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
George Clooneyonce tried to convinceBen Afflecknot to take on the role of a certain surly superhero.Speaking withHoward Sternon Thursday, Clooneyopened up about his role as Batmanin 1997’sBatman & Robinand admitted that he encouraged Affleck, 48, not to take on Bruce Wayne. Affleck ended up not taking Clooney’s advice and played Batman inBatman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,Suicide SquadandJustice League.“You did not enjoy the experience of being Batman,” Stern, 66, began the conversation. “You’ve said that, you’ve said, ‘Yeah, it just wasn’t for me, I probably shouldn’t have done it.’ ““Ben Affleckcalled you, I guess, and said, ‘Hey, they’re offering me Batman, should I take it?’ You were so down on that experience, you told him don’t go near it, right? Just disaster. He didn’t listen to you, of course, and I thought he did a nice job,” Stern added.“Yeah he did,” Clooney, 59, confirmed, adding that he thinks other actors call him for advice because he’s “been around” the industry for a long time and because he’s experienced being both “a big flop” and a box office success.“I’ve been a big flop and I’ve bombed in things, and I’ve had big successes, and it doesn’t mean they’ve listened — Ben didn’t listen to me, and he ended up doing a great job and I was wrong,” Clooney said. “But hey, I can only impart my wisdom from my experience and I just said, ‘Don’t have nipples on the suit.’ “George Clooney inBatman & Robin(1997).getty imagesBen Affleck as Batman.Warner Bros. Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection"You gotta remember, at that point, I was just an actor getting an acting job. I wasn’t the guy that could green-light a movie,” theCatch-22star and executive producer said of being Batman. “They paid Arnold [Schwarzenegger] $25 million to be in it, they paid me like, $1. And we never even worked together, we never saw each other. It’s a big monster machine and I just sort of jumped in and did what they said.“Clooney added that he’ll never watchBatman & Robinagain, saying of the action flick, “It’s so bad, it actually hurts. Like you’ll be flipping the channels, and it’ll just pop up and I’ll be like [gasp!] ‘Oh no, no, no, no.’ "
George Clooneyonce tried to convinceBen Afflecknot to take on the role of a certain surly superhero.
Speaking withHoward Sternon Thursday, Clooneyopened up about his role as Batmanin 1997’sBatman & Robinand admitted that he encouraged Affleck, 48, not to take on Bruce Wayne. Affleck ended up not taking Clooney’s advice and played Batman inBatman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,Suicide SquadandJustice League.
“You did not enjoy the experience of being Batman,” Stern, 66, began the conversation. “You’ve said that, you’ve said, ‘Yeah, it just wasn’t for me, I probably shouldn’t have done it.’ "
“Ben Affleckcalled you, I guess, and said, ‘Hey, they’re offering me Batman, should I take it?’ You were so down on that experience, you told him don’t go near it, right? Just disaster. He didn’t listen to you, of course, and I thought he did a nice job,” Stern added.
“Yeah he did,” Clooney, 59, confirmed, adding that he thinks other actors call him for advice because he’s “been around” the industry for a long time and because he’s experienced being both “a big flop” and a box office success.
“I’ve been a big flop and I’ve bombed in things, and I’ve had big successes, and it doesn’t mean they’ve listened — Ben didn’t listen to me, and he ended up doing a great job and I was wrong,” Clooney said. “But hey, I can only impart my wisdom from my experience and I just said, ‘Don’t have nipples on the suit.’ "
George Clooney inBatman & Robin(1997).getty images
Ben Affleck as Batman.Warner Bros. Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection
“You gotta remember, at that point, I was just an actor getting an acting job. I wasn’t the guy that could green-light a movie,” theCatch-22star and executive producer said of being Batman. “They paid Arnold [Schwarzenegger] $25 million to be in it, they paid me like, $1. And we never even worked together, we never saw each other. It’s a big monster machine and I just sort of jumped in and did what they said.”
Clooney added that he’ll never watchBatman & Robinagain, saying of the action flick, “It’s so bad, it actually hurts. Like you’ll be flipping the channels, and it’ll just pop up and I’ll be like [gasp!] ‘Oh no, no, no, no.’ "
source: people.com
