Ben Affleck has described his experience filming Warner Bros.'s 2017 film Justice League as the "low point" of his career. In a candid interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Affleck detailed his "negative" experience and criticized the studio's executives for how director Zack Snyder's personal tragedy was handled during the production.
Affleck stated that while he "loved playing" his version of Batman, "the experience of Justice League was so negative" that it taught him "how not to make a movie." He specifically took aim at Warner Bros.' treatment of Snyder, who was replaced by Joss Whedon during reshoots following the death of Snyder's daughter.
"Somebody’s death by suicide, that eclipses everything. And the way that was, I thought, frankly, used as an excuse… I just thought that was one of the shittiest things I’ve ever seen. It was so gross," Affleck commented. He learned about the "gross" experiences of co-stars like Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot second-hand.
Fisher, who played Cyborg, previously accused Whedon of "gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable" behavior on set, and criticized Warner Bros. executives Jon Berg and Geoff Johns for enabling him. Jason Momoa, who played Aquaman, later supported Fisher's claims, and Gal Gadot, who portrayed Wonder Woman, stated that Whedon "threatened" her career.
Affleck also mentioned that this period coincided with his struggles with alcohol. "I was drinking too much. That’s when I started to feel like, ‘I’d like to quit drinking, and I’m having a hard time not drinking,'" he recalled.