An explosive new claim has surfaced about a long-running Hollywood grudge that allegedly cost Ben Affleck a major film role. Screenwriter Mike Binder has revealed that legendary director Steven Spielberg once refused to work with Affleck on a project, partly due to a bitter memory from a family holiday involving a poolside altercation.
The Script and the Sudden Veto
According to Binder, he developed the 2006 film Man About Town with Spielberg, who was initially set to direct the comedy about a Hollywood agent. Speaking on the One Bad Movie podcast, Binder explained that while Spielberg later stepped back from directing, he encouraged Binder to helm the project himself for Spielberg's DreamWorks Pictures.
The plan hit a major snag when Binder suggested casting Ben Affleck in the lead role. Spielberg reportedly vetoed the idea outright. Binder recalls the director stating, "No. Can’t do it with him. We just bombed with a movie with him, he’s got that whole J-Lo thing going on now, and I have other problems with him."
The Source of the Spat: A Poolside Incident
Binder claims those "other problems" dated back years to when Affleck was dating Spielberg's goddaughter, Gwyneth Paltrow. The families had gone on a vacation together. Spielberg allegedly recounted an incident where his young son was playing in a pool.
"My son was a little boy, he was playing in the pool, and he got out of the pool, and Ben came in fully dressed, and my son pushed Ben into the pool," Binder says Spielberg told him. "And Ben got really mad at him, and he came out of the pool and picked him up and threw him back into the pool, and made my son cry."
Spielberg's alleged conclusion was firm: "I just don't like to work with him. Plus his last two movies bombed. Find somebody else. Anyone but him. He’s cold as hell."
Affleck's Suspicions and the Project's Collapse
When Binder informed Affleck's agent he couldn't cast him, the actor called back immediately. Affleck correctly guessed the reason, asking, "Did Steven Spielberg tell you I threw his kid in the water? Is that what happened? Is that why I'm not on your movie?"
Binder says he tried to salvage the situation by calling Spielberg back to insist on Affleck. Although Spielberg reluctantly agreed, DreamWorks dropped the entire project the very next day. Man About Town was eventually made with Affleck for an independent studio and released straight to DVD in 2006.
An Ironic Oscar Night Coda
The feud had a poignant postscript years later. In 2013, Binder watched as Ben Affleck's Argo beat Spielberg's Lincoln for the Best Picture Oscar. Seeing the two men hug at the Academy Awards, Binder texted Affleck: "Ben, tonight you could throw Spielberg’s whole family in the pool and get away with it."
Affleck, calling from the awards ceremony about an hour later, reportedly replied: "That made me laugh so f***ing hard." The Independent has approached representatives for both Steven Spielberg and Ben Affleck for comment on these claims.
