Ben Affleck May Make Movies In Boston, But He Won’t Run For Office There

Ben Affleck sat down with Entertainment Weekly to talk about his new movie, ‘The Town.’ Like his directorial debut, ‘Gone, Baby, Gone,’ it’s set in his hometown of Boston. Does he worry about being known as the guy who makes movies in Boston?

That was one of the things that almost made me not want to do The Town. I thought, I’m going to be the guy who makes crime movies in Somerville, [Mass.]. I guess from an actor’s point-of-view, you worry about being typecast.

It sounds like it wasn’t enough to stop him from doing it, though

Apparently, Ben’s ‘The Town’ co-star, Jon Hamm, said walking around Boston with Ben was like walking around with the mayor.

[Laughs] He’s probably exaggerating. People probably know who I am in Boston just because of Good Will Hunting and Gone Baby Gone. It’s a double-edged sword: Being the local boy you definitely get some support and you also…there’s tougher scrutiny.

So would Ben, who’s interest in politics is well-known, ever consider running for office there?

I don’t want to hold office. Every day that seems like a worse and worse job to have. Look at the level of political discourse now. It’s very depressing to me. I did a lot of research down in D.C. when I did State of Play [Affleck played a congressman in the 2009 film], and it’s not unlike Hollywood. It’s a one-horse town. Everyone’s jockeying with one another for power, prestige, and image and they’ll stab each other in the back as fast as they can. The only difference is the stakes are a bit higher, which makes it sadder.

I don’t know… I wouldn’t be surprised if Ben ran for office in 10-15 years

Are you interested in seeing ‘The Town’ when it hits theaters later this month?

Photos by FAME