Ben Affleck appeared to be in high spirits while promoting his new film, The Accountant 2, just two months after he settled his divorce from Jennifer Lopez.
The father of three joined his co-star Jon Bernthal on Tuesday’s episode of the Today show and revealed that his eldest child, Violet, would be ‘appalled’ at his comments.
Ben’s hidden talent
At the end of the interview, Today host Savannah Guthrie brought up Ben’s unexpected language skills, which caused him to go viral in 2023.
“I was reminded this morning that you are fluent in Spanish, and I just wanna say that that is really awesome,” the TV star said, before adding that she is learning the language herself.
“My daughter is a student of Spanish and often competes with me — will tell me that hers is better than mine,” the actor quipped. “And I’m glad that I get the chance to be on national television and just claim victory. She’ll be appalled, by the way.”
© GC ImagesHe continued: “But yes, I can speak a little bit of Spanish, and it’s a nice thing. I learned it when I was younger.”
Savannah suggested that his next film be named “The Accountant Tres,” to which Ben exclaimed, “There you go!”
“That’s three, yes. Cuatro, cinco, we could just keep going. Make another movie if we can do it in Spanish,” he joked.
Like father like daughter
© GettyThe 52-year-old is constantly in competition with Violet, 19, to improve his Spanish skills after picking up the language as a teen.
“I did a little kids TV series when I was young, and when I was 13, that season, that year was in Mexico,” he explained on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2020. “And so I was in Mexico for a year, and that’s how I picked it up.”
Ben was referring to the PBS educational series The Second Voyage of Mimi, which he joined in 1988.
© Disney General Entertainment ConThe Massachusetts native added that he refused to let Violet, whom he shares with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, surpass him in Spanish. “She’s gotten to the grade where she’s like in the harder Spanish classes and she’s getting better and she’s like right at the point where I think she might be passing me,” he said on the show.
“And that was when I was like, ‘Nope, this is not happening. I don’t mind that I can’t do your math homework and you’re 14 years old, but you are not gonna be better at Spanish than me.’ And so, I’ve decided now, I’ve gotta like, take classes, I’ve gotta do something to keep up.”
Fans discovered his hidden talent after a video of him during an interview with a Spanish radio station went viral in 2023.
Closing the chapter
© Golden Globes 2024 via Getty ImaBen’s revelation comes two months after he settled his divorce from the “Jenny from the Block” singer.
According to court documents acquired by TMZ, the former couple walked away “with what they individually acquired during the marriage,” and neither had to pay spousal support.
The Pearl Harbor star kept his stake in his production company, while Jennifer kept “her own major projects” that she embarked on during their two-year marriage.z ben
To watch the trailer for The Accountant 2, see below…
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