Ben Affleck shares a funny story about one of his first roles in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. Released in 1992, the film debuted to mixed reception but performed modestly well at the box office. Still, Buffy the Vampire Slayer became far more well-known for the hit TV series it inspired five years later, created by the movie’s writer Joss Whedon.
Appearing on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Affleck was asked if he’s ever been cut from a project. After joking he was fired from some construction jobs as a teenager due to a “tardiness problem,” Affleck discussed having his only line dubbed in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie:
The most humiliating thing was one of my early parts. I got one line. I’d just moved out to L.A…It was a small film called Buffy the Vampire Slayer, not the television version, but the movie, the actual opus that inspired the subsequent long-running series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Kristy Swanson starred, and I was a basketball player that just happened to be playing high school basketball, and then a werewolf or a vampire ran through, and I got scared because he was scary. And I said, ‘here you go take it, take the ball’ or something like that. And I thought my work was good, I was feeling it, I felt authentically afraid of [actor] Sasha [Jenson]. We did it a bunch of times, and I was like, ‘boy, this director is really rigorous.’ And then I went and saw the movie with some friends. It wasn’t quite the Meryl Streep buildup. I sounded very different, and I realized right then, they re-recorded my lines. I was so bad, they needed me to be in the scene, but the director obviously [thought], ‘I can’t hear the voice again!’ They had to pay someone to come in and say, ‘hey man, take it’ because apparently I couldn’t say that convincingly enough.
Ben Affleck Isn’t The Only Big Name In The Buffy Movie
Affleck is far from the only major star in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. Luke Perry, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Swank, and David Arquette all had roles of varying magnitudes. Even Seth Green, Ricki Lake, and Alexis Arquette had uncredited parts like Affleck. Green went on to have a much larger role in the Buffy TV series, which remains one of his most beloved roles.
Considering the Buffy show became a far bigger success than the movie, it’s surprising that the film starred so many actors who were already famous at the time or became big stars. In Affleck’s case, his brief appearance has long been a fun Hollywood story, but it’s interesting to hear the actor’s personal reaction to being dubbed. While it may have bugged Affleck at the time, it’s clear from his humorous retelling of the story that he looks back on the experience fondly.
It helps that Affleck got his big break only five years later, writing and starring in Good Will Hunting. Additionally, his work as a filmmaker means he knows that post-production changes are common and not always a negative comment on an actor’s performance. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie remains a fascinating project to look back on today, partly because of Affleck’s brief but memorable appearance.
Source: The Late Late Show with James Corden
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