Ben Affleck, born on August 15, 1972, is one of the most popular faces in Hollywood, popular both for his onscreen work and offscreen relationships. But let's talk about his onscreen shenanigans here. He is a wonderful actor who first gained recognition with his role in the independent film Dazed and Confused (1993). However, it was his supporting role in Good Will Hunting (1997), a coming-of-age drama whose screenplay he co-wrote with Matt Damon, that gave Affleck his breakout success. The film also earned them an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Affleck's acting career has been marked by notable performances in films such as Chasing Amy (1997), Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbour (2001), Changing Lanes (2002), Hollywoodland (2006), Gone Girl (2014), Justice League (2017) among others. Ben Affleck Birthday Special: From Air to Argo, Ranking All 5 of the Batman Star’s Directorial Features from Worst to Best.

However, it was his turn as a director that surprised his fans, as he proved himself to be an accomplished storyteller. He has made five films to date and received critical acclaim for his work on Gone Baby Gone (2007), The Town (2010), and Argo (2012), the latter of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. His last directorial, Air (2023), also won over the critics.

'I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney'

But before all these films, not many know that Ben Affleck also directed a short film that marks his directorial debut. It is a weird satirical short film about a misogynistic director who holds auditions and has a strange request for one of the aspirants, all the while holding his lesbian wife gagged and bound in his basement. Even the title was aptly weird - I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney!

Whoa!

The short was made in 1993, and although he directed the film, Affleck didn't star in it, nor was his best friend Matt Damon or his younger brother Casey Affleck involved in it.

Watch the Short Film Here:

It went viral on YouTube a decade back, and when Entertainment Weekly asked Affleck in an interview in 2010 about his directorial debut, he was quite embarrassed about it. He responded, "It’s horrible. It’s atrocious. I knew I wanted to be a director, and I did a couple of short films, and this is the only one that haunts me. I’m not proud of it. It looks like it was made by someone who has no prospects, no promise." Thankfully, Ben Affleck has dusted his small 'horrible' beginnings behind and went on to direct some amazing gems ahead. Too bad we never got to see The Batman film that he was supposed to direct and star in.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 15, 2024 09:21 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).