Ben Affleck, Steven Spielberg, and the pool incident that killed a movie deal
Many people in Hollywood harbour grudges against one another, but few are as oddly specific as the tension between Ben Affleck and Steven Spielberg — a feud that apparently traces back to a swimming pool incident more than 25 years ago.
Mike Binder and Steven Spielberg Were Working Together Until Ben Affleck Got Involved
While appearing on Stephen Baldwin’s podcast One Bad Movie, filmmaker Mike Binder recalled crossing paths with Spielberg after the legendary director was impressed by The Upside of Anger. “He said, ‘We gotta do something together. I want you to write something for me,’” Binder explained. That collaboration ultimately gave rise to Man About Town, a comedy-drama about a powerful Hollywood agent whose seemingly perfect life begins to unravel.
Binder hoped Spielberg would direct the film. Although Spielberg later backed out of directing duties, he kept the project at DreamWorks, at least until Ben Affleck entered the picture.
After meeting with Affleck, Binder struck a deal for the actor to star in Man About Town. But when he called Spielberg with the news, the response was swift. “I call Steven, Steven says, ‘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,’” Binder said.
So… What Happened?
According to Binder, Spielberg traced his issues with Affleck back to a family vacation in the late ’90s, when Affleck was dating Gwyneth Paltrow, Spielberg’s goddaughter. “‘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 recalled Spielberg telling 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.’”
Binder continued, “He says, ‘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.’ I said, ‘Okay, Steven.’”
When Binder contacted Affleck’s agent, he quickly received a call from Affleck himself. “Ben calls me up, he says, ‘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 recalled. “I said, ‘No, he didn’t say—’ ‘Yes he did! He told you I threw his kid in the water. That’s why I’m not on the movie.’”
Despite everything, Binder ultimately decided he still wanted Affleck for the role. Spielberg didn’t push back, but DreamWorks dropped Man About Town the very next day. Binder took the project elsewhere, and the film was eventually released direct-to-DVD in 2006.
Binder Made Affleck Laugh About it Years Later
Years later, Binder found himself watching the 85th Academy Awards, where Affleck’s Argo beat Spielberg’s Lincoln for Best Picture. “He beats Spielberg, and he’s at the Academy Awards, and they’re hugging,” Binder said. “And I text him, I’m watching on the air, I go, ‘Ben, tonight you could throw Spielberg’s whole family in the pool and get away with it.’ About an hour later, the phone rings, it’s Affleck at the Academy [Awards]. He goes, ‘That made me laugh so f—in’ hard.’”
Looking back, Binder summed up the entire saga with some hard-earned perspective. “I love both these guys, and they’re both smarter than me, but they both kinda acted like idiots, and so did I,” he said. “They were great guys, but at the same time, assholes. They were like everybody else. Steven Spielberg is a genius and a great guy, but he can be an asshole. And Ben Affleck is a great guy, and he can be a bigger asshole. But by the same token, both of ’em can go, ‘Yeah, I can be an asshole.’”
Is this decade’s old pool incident still a point of contention between Spielberg and Affleck? I’m not sure, but the story certainly made me laugh.
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