I’ve always really liked Ben Affleck. Of course, people like to pick on him, but I would say I was an early fan of them choosing him to play Batman, and I especially like when he does passion projects like The Town, Gone Baby Gone, Argo, and the recent, very underrated The Way Back. I was even a pretty giant fan of Live by Night and even thought Triple Frontier was damn solid.
Affleck is back in front of the camera with one of his most winning performances in recent years, The Tender Bar, where he plays Uncle Charlie, a beloved bartender who takes his nephew, J.R. (played by Daniel Ranieri & Tye Sheridan), under his wing and teaches him how to be a man in 1970’s Long Island.
Affleck and young Ranieri recently sat with us for an interview, where Affleck described how his character is not unlike the guy he played in Good Will Hunting way back at the start of his career. Ranieri and Affleck seem to have a very authentic, warm relationship so talking to them together was a treat.
I also had the opportunity to chat with Tye Sheridan, who plays the older J.R. and has always been a really affable, fun guy to talk to. He’s been acting since he was teen in movies like Mud and Joe, but now has become a legit leading man who can hold his own against anymore. Sheridan seemed especially enthusiastic about the scene he shared with young Ranieri. Check it out!
You can watch director George Clooney’s The Tender Bar (read our review) on Amazon Prime starting today!