David Fincher is looked at by film fans and critics alike as a top tier director. His films have run the gamut of genre and style and all at the height of technical prowess. Ben Affleck, three films into his directorial career, may be an Oscar winner but he knows that he is not a master craftsman like Fincher. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Affleck acknowledged that while he may be starring in GONE GIRL for Fincher, he is not oblivious to what it will mean for him behind the camera to work with the esteemed filmmaker.
“I truly kind of show up with a notepad,” says Affleck, who plays Nick Dunne, the husband who is suspected of his wife’s murder. “He’s the only director I’ve worked with who I felt like could do everyone else’s job as well, if not better, than they could; who is able to articulate exactly what he was thinking; and who understands the technical side of the work as much as the creative side, which is to say, a lot. I’ve learned more from David in a day or two than I have most movies I’ve spent 80 days on.”
Affleck has worked with a lot of directors in his career but few as lauded as Fincher. While I have been impressed by Ben Affleck as a director so far, it is nice to know he isn’t full of himself and still wants to learn more about the second phase if his career. I am hoping that whatever Affleck gleams from Fincher will make his next film as director, LIVE BY NIGHT, all the better.
Affleck was also asked about what GONE GIRL will be like. The book was a bestseller that had a complex mixture of points of view that would be difficult to adapt for the big screen, but Affleck seems confident in the screenplay.
“I don’t want to give away too much, because if you know the book, you know that there are set of reveals that you would want to maintain the integrity of,” says Affleck. “But I will say that Gillian adapted it and I think it’s very, very faithful to her book. If you read the book and liked it, you will definitely like the movie.”
GONE GIRL also stars Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Casey Wilson, Patrick Fugit, Kim Dickens, and Tyler Perry. It hits theaters on October 3, 2014.