Ben Affleck’s face has launched a thousand memes but according to the actor, he just has an “unhappy-looking resting face.”
Appearing on Tuesday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to promote his new movie “Air,” which tells the true story of how Nike landed Michael Jordan for a game-changing endorsement deal, the director and actor spoke about how it’s a “common misconception” that he isn’t enjoying himself at events.
Affleck went viral in February when he attended this year’s Grammy Awards alongside Jennifer Lopez and was caught on camera several times looking like he’d rather be anywhere else with a forlorn expression on his face.
However, Kimmel brought up another instance where the 50-year-old star’s “awkwardness” was on full display, proving that it’s not just in public that Affleck appears uninterested.
“It did seem like you weren’t quite as psyched about the party as everybody else,” Kimmel said of Affleck and Lopez’s holiday party in December 2022.
Affleck threw his head back laughing before responding: “See, that’s a common misconception about me.”
Kimmel suggested that Affleck should “tell his face” when he’s having a good time.
“I have a very unhappy-looking resting face,” Affleck said, defending himself.
To prove his point, the Oscar winner demonstrated to the audience what his “content” and “amused” faces look like, before making expressions that resembled someone who is having the worst day of their life.
“That’s how God made me,” he continued, laughing. “You don’t have to punish me for it.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Affleck suggested that he had seen the online reaction to his Grammy appearance — which Twitter users have dubbed the latest iteration of “Sad Affleck.”
“I’ve been the subject of the occasional meme,” he said.
Earlier this month, Affleck cleared up confusion around the tense-looking exchange he and Lopez — who he married in June 2022 — had during the awards ceremony when host Trevor Noah walked up to their table for an on-air segment.
“I saw [host Trevor Noah approach] and I was like, ‘Oh, God.’ They were framing us in this shot, but I didn’t know they were rolling,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I leaned into her and I was like, ‘As soon they start rolling, I’m going to slide away from you and leave you sitting next to Trevor,'” Affleck said he told Lopez. “She goes, ‘You better fucking not leave.’ That’s a husband-and-wife thing.”