Ben Affleck got candid about his mother after her death.
On September 30, Ben appeared on Kerry Washington‘s new podcast, Street You Grew Up On and reflected on the loss of his parents earlier this year, saying, “My parents just died, both of them.”
He went on to say, “In April and in June. So I’ve been just like, you know, not just now or anything, but it’s just sort of a big thing.”
“It’s caused me to start thinking about my own childhood in ways that [have] been a little bit different,” he continued, “I’ve certainly learned to sort of even more deeply appreciate my mom and really value and see what she did and what the sacrifice and commitment that she made and how complete it was.”
However, after his mother’s death the actor discovered some old private letters which were written by his late mother to her parents when she was young,
They allowed him to see a young woman “full of life and ambition and dreams” who wanted a career in teaching or social work while living in California.
While speaking about reading those letters, the Hollywood star said, “This sounds like a crazy thing to say, but it was really weird for me to read these letters.”
“It was really fascinating,” Ben continued, “But of course, the thing that struck me was this has nothing to do with me. Like, she had a full life before you. This woman had her own whole life for 30 years that had zero to do with me.”
Reflecting how his mother made her children the centre of her life, Ben added, “It’s the solipsism of being a child that’s loved probably in the right way, where you know that I knew my mom loved me no matter what.”
Adding, “All I knew was a person who just made me and my brother the absolute most important center of her life, you know?”
Moreover, Ben spoke about his mother admiringly, stating, “She was, I mean, gorgeous and smart and thoughtful and passionate. I just thought this woman’s amazing and she could do anything.”
Noting, “She worked really hard, and she came home and did everything,”
“And there I was, probably a pain in the ass, like outside, didn’t want to come [in] and complain. Whatever it was, you know. And hard to wrangle, me and my brother,” he added.
“And it really struck me, really for the first time, that I had taken for granted [what she did], probably in a way that she wants, in a way I want my children to take for granted,” the grieving son further shared.
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