Ben Affleck looks back at the awkward 2013 Oscars when ‘Argo’ won Best Picture but he was snubbed for Best Director and Actor. The actor-director now calls the moment more embarrassing than upsetting.
Image Source: IMDb
Ben Affleck is looking back at one of the most awkward moments of his long Hollywood journey, and he is finally laughing about it.
More than a decade after ‘Argo’ swept the Oscars, the actor-director has admitted that being snubbed for major awards still feels “embarrassing.” His confession came during a recent chat on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, where memories from the 2013 awards season resurfaced.
Advertisement
In 2013, ‘Argo’ became one of the biggest stories of award season. The film was praised by critics, loved by audiences. It eventually won the Oscar for Best Picture. But there was one shocking twist.
Advertisement
Ben Affleck, who both directed and starred in the movie, did not receive an Oscar nomination for Best Director or Best Actor.
The film won the top prize, yet the man behind it was missing from the biggest categories. Even today, Affleck admits the situation still makes him cringe.
View this post on Instagram
Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel, Affleck explained how expectations made the moment harder. According to him, people kept telling him that a nomination was guaranteed.
“All the time, everyone says you’re going to get nominated,” Affleck said. Then suddenly, the opposite happened.
Instead of celebration, the conversation turned into awkward sympathy. “You didn’t get nominated,” people kept telling him.
Jimmy Kimmel summed up the situation perfectly, and hilariously. He pointed out how strange it was that ‘Argo’ won Best Picture even though its director and lead actor were ignored.
Kimmel joked that it felt like the movie “directed itself.” Affleck agreed, saying that was exactly how it felt at the time.
On the same day as the Oscar snub news, Affleck attended the Critics’ Choice Awards, where he won Best Director and Best Picture. Instead of enjoying the win, he found himself stuck answering one question.
Reporters lined up. Not to congratulate him, but to ask how it felt to be snubbed by the Oscars.
Affleck said the attention was overwhelming. Every interview reminded of what he didn’t get, not what he had achieved.
When asked if he was angry, Affleck was clear. He wasn’t upset. Just deeply uncomfortable.
He explained that he never publicly claimed he deserved a nomination. Still, he had to explain why it didn’t happen. That, for him, was the hardest part.
In the end, ‘Argo’ still walked away with three Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
Now 53, Affleck is focused on the future. He is set to return as director, actor, and co-writer for an upcoming crime thriller titled ‘Animals’.
The film features a cast including Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun, and Ray Fisher. And with a smile, Affleck even joked to Kimmel that maybe this time, the Oscars might go differently.
Advertisement
