Ben Affleck Says He Was Told He'd Drink Himself 'to Death' If He Played Batman Again

Ben Affleck is opening up about how his struggles with sobriety affected his career — notably his role as Batman.

In an interview with The New York Times published Tuesday, the actor told the outlet why he is not in the upcoming film The Batman, which he was set to initially direct and act in after having played the DC hero in both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017).

“I showed somebody The Batman script,” Affleck, 47, said. “They said, ‘I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went though [sic] again.”

The Batman is set to come out in 2021, and will star Robert Pattinson in the title role with Matt Reeves (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) directing.

Affleck, who has been open about his own struggles with addiction, is starring in an upcoming sports drama The Way Back, which echoes his own experience with alcoholism and divorce.

The actor says it took years to admit his own struggles. “It took me a long time to fundamentally, deeply, without a hint of doubt, admit to myself that I am an alcoholic,” he continued to the Times. “The next drink will not be different.”

Still, as Affleck continues to work on his recovery, he acknowledges, “It’s not particularly healthy for me to obsess over the failures — the relapses — and beat myself up.”

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“I have certainly made mistakes. I have certainly done things that I regret,” he added. “But you’ve got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward.”

The Way Back opens March 6.