Ben Affleck says Bruce Willis tried to steer him away from Shakespeare in Love, offering career advice that his younger costar ultimately chose not to follow.
Affleck recalled the conversation during the Oct. 12 episode of Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast.
The actors were working together on Michael Bay’s Armageddon, the asteroid thriller released in 1998, when Willis weighed in on the period romance.
Affleck went on to play Ned Alleyn, a supporting character in director John Madden’s film, which starred Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes.
Willis Hadn’t Read the Script When He Gave the Advice
“He was wrong about that one,” Affleck told Horowitz, according to Entertainment Weekly. “But he hadn’t read the script, in all fairness.”
Affleck remembered the recommendation as a sincere attempt to help him. He called Willis “the sweetest guy in the world” and spoke warmly about the actor’s interest in guiding him through the business.
Willis also thought Affleck’s voice was too high and encouraged him to lower it. Affleck recalled being baffled by the suggestion, asking how he was supposed to change the voice he naturally had while Willis insisted he was offering a useful tip.
The subject came up as Horowitz asked about Affleck’s Batman voice. Affleck said his interpretation drew on the older, physically battered character in Frank Miller’s work. He wanted the delivery to suggest exhaustion and years of wear.
Affleck Wanted the Supporting Role, Not Shakespeare
In an April 17, 2025, interview with GQ, Affleck explained that playing the title character had never been under consideration. Fiennes was already attached when he read the screenplay, and it was Alleyn who caught his attention.
“I read it and loved that character,” he said. The role let him play a vain performer whose inflated sense of importance was part of the comedy. He was also excited to work with material by playwright Tom Stoppard, who shared screenplay credit with Marc Norman. Affleck called it the best script he had ever read and remembered enjoying the production.
He was dating Paltrow at the time and knew she would appear in the film, although he was unsure whether their relationship was how he first came to read it.
Seven Oscars Followed, Including Best Picture
Shakespeare in Love received 13 nominations at the 1999 Academy Awards and won seven. Its victories included Best Picture, Best Actress for Paltrow and Best Supporting Actress for Judi Dench.
Norman and Stoppard won for their original screenplay. The film also received awards for art direction, costume design and Stephen Warbeck’s original musical or comedy score.
Affleck shared in a separate acting honor, the ensemble’s award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the 1999 SAG Awards. The cast also included Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth.
Billy Bob Thornton Had a Question About Affleck’s Own Oscar
Affleck and Matt Damon had won the original screenplay Oscar for Good Will Hunting a year earlier, at the March 23, 1998 ceremony. In his GQ retrospective, Affleck recalled leaving the Pittsburgh set of Kevin Smith’s Dogma to attend. When he returned, people were waiting outside his trailer for autographs. He initially suspected Smith was playing a joke on him.
Thornton, another Armageddon castmate, had won the adapted screenplay award for Sling Blade at the previous year’s Oscars. Affleck told Horowitz that he and Damon greatly admired the film.
At a party after their win, Thornton asked Affleck whether sharing the writing credit meant he and Damon had received half an Oscar each. He then reminded Affleck that his own statuette was a whole one.