The American actor who took the cinematic world by storm with Good Will Hunting fell into career rut, but turning back to his filmmaking talents is beginning to bring his fortunes around.
Ten years ago, Ben Affleck seemed to be on a fast track to nowhere, his career a rollercoaster ride from zero to hero and back again. The focus of endless tabloid gossip and sour jokes about his private life, Affleck had graduated from promising young all-rounder to washed-up playboy almost overnight. Both blessed and cursed with square-jawed good looks, he appeared to have squandered his early potential on flashy blockbusters and trashy vanity projects.
But Affleck, who turned 40 last month, has proved more wily and resilient than he appeared, staging a slow but steady comeback in recent years. Earlier this week, the Venice International Film Festival witnessed him starring in director Terrence Malick's sumptuous autobiographical drama To the Wonder, an impressionist companion piece to last year's award-winning Tree of Life. The film has fiercely divided critics with its fragmentary plot and dreamy style, but at least Affleck emerges from the project with his reputation as a serious actor enhanced.
Far more impressive and entertaining is Argo, Affleck's third feature as director, currently generating major buzz after a sneak preview at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado last week. Co-produced by George Clooney, this lively comedy thriller puts a lightly fictional spin on the incredible true story of a CIA plot to smuggle six fugitive American diplomats out of Tehran during the tense hostage crisis at the US Embassy that followed the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Affleck not only directs but also co-stars as the bearded, scruffy intelligence officer who hatches an audacious plan to stage a fake Hollywood film shoot in the Iranian desert. A tremendous story, told with style and wit.
Both Argo and To the Wonder are showing at the Toronto International Film Festival over the next few days. Argo then opens in the United States next month, and is already being tipped for Oscars next year. A former student of Middle Eastern affairs who once taught himself to speak Arabic, Affleck has always been a smart cookie - he just let that side of his nature lapse a little when mainstream fame beckoned. But now, after a decade of bad choices and car-crash movies, the comeback kid is finally reclaiming some of the industry credibility and critical acclaim that first made him a star.
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt was born in 1972 in Berkeley, California, to progressive hippie parents. His mother, Christine Anne Boldt, worked as a teacher. His father, Timothy Byers Affleck, was an alcoholic who worked a variety of jobs including social worker, car mechanic, stage actor and janitor at Harvard University - later becoming a key inspiration for the main character in the film Good Will Hunting. The family relocated to a working-class neighbourhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where 8-year-old Ben first met his long-time friend and fellow actor, Matt Damon. Before Affleck turned 12, his father divorced his mother and left. Father and son later reconciled on friendly terms.
Distantly related through a common ancestor, Affleck and Damon attended the same schools and discovered a shared passion for acting. Aided by one of his mother's friends, a casting director, young Ben began his screen career playing sporadic child and teenage roles, mostly in television movies. Dropping out of the University of Vermont after one semester, he dedicated himself to pursuing an acting career. He and Damon shared an apartment, and even a bank account. With acting work in short supply, they wrote screenplays together, sometimes in partnership with Affleck's younger brother Casey.
Affleck first showed a flair for wordy, ironic, indie comedies, most notably for Chasing Amy director Kevin Smith. Indeed, it was Smith's endorsement that helped secure studio backing for his 1997 career breakthrough with Good Will Hunting, a shared script that he and Damon had been touting around Hollywood for almost five years before finally trading it for US$600,000 (Dh220,383) and two juicy acting roles. Directed by Gus Van Sant, this sentimental but rousing urban fairy tale about a blue-collar Boston college janitor with genius-level maths skills became a critical and commercial hit, transforming these two virtual unknowns into in-demand actors and screenwriters overnight.
At the 1998 Academy Awards, Affleck became the youngest-ever winner of an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. "It felt like stepping through the looking glass, where you are sitting at home watching television and all of a sudden the television starts talking to you," he recalled in a 2010 interview with the online film magazine Deadline. "That was hard for us to even absorb at that age. I was 25."
But following their shared Oscar triumph, the two friends took very different career paths. Affleck immediately seemed to cash in with roles in bubblegum blockbusters such as Armageddon and Pearl Harbor, huge box office hits which nevertheless dented his reputation as an indie icon and brainy sex symbol. Damon also began moving into the mainstream, but with more patience and care, balancing indie art house roles with critically acclaimed franchises like the Jason Bourne and Ocean's Eleven series.
In fairness, Affleck was also appearing in credible fare like Boiler Room and Changing Lanes, socially charged dramas with modest commercial impact. But while Damon studiously avoided the paparazzi and gossip columns, his former Boston buddy seemed to run headlong into the clichéd celebrity lifestyle. He briefly dated his Shakespeare in Love co-star Gwyneth Paltrow, starred in shampoo commercials and ended up in a rehab centre for alcohol addiction in 2001. Ironically, he was driven there by the notorious Hollywood bad boy Charlie Sheen.
Affleck's image hit a new low around 2002, when he began a high-profile relationship with the singer and actress Jennifer Lopez. The "Bennifer" affair reached a career-sinking nadir when the couple shared a screen in the notoriously awful Gigli in 2003 and the lacklustre romcom Jersey Girl in 2004. Soon after the latter was released, they separated, blaming saturation tabloid coverage for the "Icarus-like fall" of their high-flying relationship.
Meanwhile, Affleck's career slump deepened. He won the Golden Raspberry award for the Worst Actor in 2003, on top of two further nominations. His CV began to resemble what the British newspaper The Guardian later dubbed "a never-ending Thanksgiving dinner: one turkey after another". Adding injury to insult, Matt Damon gave a widely reported press interview that appeared to be a veiled attack on his long-time best friend for only taking big-paycheck roles.
Affleck hit back on the US comedy show Saturday Night Live with a mock rant against Damon. "I know you're not into stardom, but help me out here," he quipped. "I can't seem to recall which Chekhov play The Bourne Supremacy is based on." He also joked about his failed relationship with Lopez, adding: "wait till you lose your mind and make two movies in a row with your girlfriend".
Around this time, Affleck started to turn his career around and rebuild his tattered reputation. He began to flex his political muscles in public more, campaigning for Democratic US presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004, just as he would support Barack Obama four years later. He also became involved with humanitarian charities in Eastern Congo, travelling to this war-torn African nation for the United Nations.
In June 2005, displaying an impressively consistent attraction to women named Jennifer, Affleck married his Daredevil co-star Jennifer Garner, pointedly keeping their wedding a secret from the media. In December, Garner gave birth to the first of their three children, Violet Anne.
Having earned a reported $15 million per movie at the peak of his boom-and-bust fame, Affleck took a steep pay cut in 2006 to co-star in Allen Coulter's low-budget bio-drama Hollywoodland as former Superman actor George Reeves, an early action-man star who longed for more serious roles. The real-life parallels were striking and helped win Affleck multiple awards, but the movie only turned a slender profit. He still needed a major break to revive his career.
"The trap for an actor is that you become too successful at what you're trying to do, and you can find yourself stuck there," Affleck confessed to Parade magazine in 2007. "As an actor there's so many ways that it can go wrong for you, and so few ways it can go right."
A year later, he finally took his fate into his own hands by co-writing and directing the noirish kidnap thriller Gone Baby Gone. Set on the working-class streets of South Boston, this broody adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel starred Casey Affleck alongside Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Freeman. A critical smash and a respectable commercial hit, Affleck's feature directing debut helped him make the Clooney-style leap from lightweight leading man to serious filmmaker.
In 2010, Affleck scored an even bigger box-office splash with another blue-collar Boston crime saga, The Town. This time he was multitasking as director, star and co-writer. Earning $150m worldwide, the film restored Affleck's reputation among studio chiefs and cemented his second career as a maker of dark, intelligent thrillers. Returning to Good Will Hunting territory, he rediscovered his mojo by reconnecting with his gritty Boston roots.
"For me, there was a lesson in Good Will Hunting," Affleck told Deadline magazine. "Generating your own material is the only thing you can rely on. Opportunities come and go, things go well and dry up. But ultimately you have to be responsible for yourself, your life and your career."
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
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How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Company%C2%A0profile
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Al Montaqem, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m | Winner: Daber W’Rsan, Connor Beasley, Jaci Wickham
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m | Winner: Bainoona, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: AF Makerah, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 | Winner: AF Motaghatres, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,600m | Winner: Tafakhor, Ronan Whelan, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
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Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Company%20Profile
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Johnstone, Pickford, Ramsdale
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Godfrey, James, Maguire, Mings, Shaw, Stones, Trippier, Walker, White
Midfielders Bellingham, Henderson, Lingard, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse
Forwards Calvert-Lewin, Foden, Grealish, Greenwood, Kane, Rashford, Saka, Sancho, Sterling, Watkins
The%20specs
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
12%20restaurants%20opening%20at%20the%20hotel%20this%20month
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vault%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBilal%20Abou-Diab%20and%20Sami%20Abdul%20Hadi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELicensed%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Global%20Market%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EInvestment%20and%20wealth%20advisory%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOutliers%20VC%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E14%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
