Ben Affleck opened up about his latest film, The Last Duel, which co-stars Matt Damon and Jodie Comer, and is directed by Ridley Scott. He told The Venice Film Festival: “I do consider myself a feminist.”
“The movie principally was really exciting to me because of the character of Marguerite played by Comer,” said Affleck. “Her extraordinary strength and bravery seemed very obvious when I read the book.”
He added: “This is a true story, one that people didn’t know. This is an incredible woman from history who is an early-known recorded person who spoke out against a powerful man who assaulted her. Naturally, that seemed relevant and also incredibly thrilling, and a story that could generate a lot of catharsis and empathy and one that I hoped would develop in the viewer a sense of compassion and, we hope, the idea that we might look at one another in a different way.”
The film is set in 1386, with King Charles VI (Affleck), Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and his wife (Comer).
Of the co-writing process, Damon said, “Ben and I did the male sections – the first two acts. Nicole did the third act, which is primarily Jodie’s story, although Jodie obviously enters both of our stories. The idea was that in the male stories, the women are kind of manifested when the men need them. For something other than that, they’re ignored…they are their property and they’re kind of seen of as that.”
The Last Duel lands in theaters October 15.
BENNIFER
Bennifer also returned to the red carpet, marking their first appearance as a couple after 18 years. The pair were engaged, split in 2004 days before their wedding, got married and had kids with other people, and reunited this year. While they’ve been widely photographed together out and about, this is their first “official” appearance. They hit the red carpet at the premiere of Affleck’s The Last Duel.
Social media ate it up, with even Affleck’s ex Gwyneth Paltrow “Okay, this is cute” on a shot of the pair.
