Ben Affleck breaks silence on the deaths of his mother and father 2 months apart

Ben Affleck reflects on the recent death of his parents.

THE Argo the star and director discussed his memories of his father, Timothy, who died in April, and his mother, Chris, who died in June, in a new episode of Kerry Washington’s podcast Street you grew up on.

“My parents just died. Both of them. In April and June,” he said. “It’s kind of a big thing, and it made me start thinking about my own childhood in a little different way.”

THE Batman v Superman The star said that after his mother died from cardiopulmonary arrest, he learned to see his life in a different light. “I definitely learned to appreciate my mother even more deeply,” Affleck said. “And really value and see what she did and what sacrifice and what commitment she made and how complete it was.”

Affleck explained that he began reading the letters his mother wrote to his grandparents at a young age. “It seems like a crazy thing to say, but it was really weird for me to read those letters, first of all as a young woman full of life and ambition and dreams and who doesn’t know, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll be a social worker, maybe I’ll be a teacher, there are these protests,'” he shared. “But of course what struck me was: This has nothing to do with me. This woman had her whole life for 30 years that had nothing to do with me.”

THE missing girl The actor explained that he was moved by the fact that his mother put him and his family first, despite her personal interests and goals. “It was so interesting to me because all I knew was a person who made me and my brother the most important center of his life,” he said. “And it really struck me that she was beautiful and intelligent and thoughtful and passionate, and I just thought, ‘This woman is incredible. She can do anything.’ And she was there, my whole life.

He continued: “She was a teacher, she worked very hard. She taught elementary school in a public school. She taught 5th and 6th grade. She finished at 2:30 p.m., but she never came home until 5:30 or 6 p.m. She worked very hard. And then she would come home and do everything, you know? And there I was, probably a pain in the ass, outside, I didn’t want to coming in, complaining, whatever it was, it was hard for me and my brother to argue.”

Affleck said his parents’ failed marriage made him “sad” on his mother’s behalf. “She should have happiness and love,” he said. “(At) the time we’re talking about, my father was in pretty bad shape and getting worse, he hadn’t found a job, he was drinking too much, all that kind of stuff, he was angry, resentful.”

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The Oscar winner said there was “a lot of friction” between his parents, which meant he was relieved as a teenager when they told him they were seeking a divorce. “They said whatever it was: ‘We’re getting divorced,'” Affleck recalled. “And I remember, I was 11, I remember thinking, ‘I should try to look sad.’ That’s what I thought. I thought, “Can I try crying?” Should I be sad? But I was so happy.