14 DAY TRIAL // Ben Affleck is now in what is possibly the best shape of his life. If you’ve seen his most recent film, the David Fincher-directed thriller “Gone Girl,” you probably noticed that his weight oscillated throughout the movie, because some scenes were shot before he started training for “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which comes in May 2016.
However, before he bulked up, he repeatedly refused to get in shape, to the point where he was dubbed “Fatman” and people would make fun of him behind his back, an inside source tells the latest print issue of The National Enquirer (story via CB).
He refused to work with the trainer provided to him
When he agreed to star as Batman, Affleck was informed that he would have to get in shape for the role. These days, every actor who takes on a role in an action movie, particularly in a comic book-based one, knows that this comes with the territory.
But the rewards are proportional to the effort that goes into the preparation for the part: just look at Chris Pratt and how Marvel made him the hottest star on the scene right now, with this summer’s blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
However, while Affleck knew that he must start training, he refused to do so with the trainer provided to him and turned to a guy recommended to him by his best friend Matt Damon, the tab would have us believe.
That was a very bad idea, an insider claims.
“Turns out that was a truly bad decision for Ben, because when it finally came time to start filming after many delays, the star showed up looking so flabby for a shirtless boxing scene that producers immediately hired a ripped body double – and ended up using him so frequently as the Batman stand-in that snarky crew members sneakily started calling Ben ‘Fatman’ behind his back!” dishes the spy.
We’re to believe Affleck eventually learned his lesson, which would explain his impressive figure right now.
Ben Affleck will be under even more scrutiny in the months to come
It’s best to take this Enquirer report with a grain of salt. Even assuming it’s not true, it serves to show the kind of scrutiny Affleck will be under for about a couple of years more, until “Batman V. Superman” opens in theaters.
Unlike any other project he’s done before, this one will put him in the spotlight and will make him a target of intense criticism and all kinds of rumors. He’s already had a first sample of that when Warner Bros. and Snyder announced he’d been cast for the role and the Internet reacted violently against the idea.
The “Batfleck” meme was born then, and to this day, it continues to be popular with fans who believe he will ruin the character and the film. The degree of negativity has decreased, but that was to be expected; it doesn’t change the fact that Affleck will have to do his best to be a convincing Batman, and that pressure is huge for this movie to not be a disappointment.