Hollywood veteran Ben Affleck, best known for roles such as Batman, has publicly declared that he has no desire to run for elected office. While promoting his upcoming Netflix film Animals, in which he portrays a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, Affleck told Variety that the idea of becoming a politician “sounds terrible” and “tawdry.”
“I just think that’s enormously — I don’t know, man, that seems terrible,” Affleck said, noting that political stories often serve as parables for moral compromise. He added that the political world feels like a “very depressing world, in my opinion. Tawdry. And that has no appeal to me.”
Disillusionment with the System
Affleck expanded his criticism on Good Morning America, describing a national mood in which both Democrats and Republicans feel the system is “failing us.” He said the collective bar for politics has dropped so low that voters are looking for someone to “shoot me straight,” reflecting a broader sense of cynicism.
He also noted that the political arena is dominated by money, sound bites, and tactics that appeal to the worst instincts of voters rather than their better nature. “And increasingly, it’s easier to get votes appealing to the worst in people than it is appealing to the best in them,” he observed.
Why He Stays Out of the Race
When asked about endorsing any candidate in the upcoming Los Angeles mayoral election, Affleck said he would remain “agnostic” until his film is released. “I haven’t thought about being asked that. I don’t know if, given this movie, my endorsement harms or helps anybody,” he explained.
Affleck also recounted a promotional stunt where he and his on‑screen campaign manager wore campaign shirts and hats around L.A., jokingly telling passersby that he was running for mayor. The reaction was mixed, with some people asking for selfies and others launching into political debates, prompting Affleck to quip, “If I’m not careful, I’m going to win this.”
Reflections on Moral Compromise
In his discussion of the film’s themes, Affleck said Animals explores how individuals compromise their principles when they have something to lose. He asked whether people are “self‑seeking animals” who rationalize their actions, or whether a higher moral self urges them to adhere to a code even at personal cost.
Affleck’s comments come amid a broader cultural conversation about the health of American politics. While he has previously campaigned for figures such as former Vice President Al Gore and former President Barack Obama, he now describes himself as “averse” to political involvement because of the pervasive “hypocrisy, corruption and failure” he perceives.
Despite his disillusionment, Affleck remains committed to his acting career, noting that playing a mayoral candidate in the film has shown him that the job would involve constant fundraising and little enjoyment. “Holding office is an awful job,” he said in a recent interview with USA Today via The Sacramento Bee, reinforcing his decision to stay out of real‑world politics.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
