When Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice released in March of 2016, it was largely savaged by critics, earning it a score of 27 percent on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, the fans were far less negative as a whole, but still not on the same page; some agreed with the negative critical evaluations, while others believing the movie was misunderstood or underappreciated.

The shadow of Batman V Superman’s critical and audience reaction seems to still hang over Affleck, as many fans are calling his eventual Batman movie the best chance to right the ship for the DC Extended Universe. Even while he’s promoting his newest film, Live by Night, it seems like all anyone wants to ask him about is The Batman.

During a recent interview with BBC Radio 1, Affleck was asked what the experience of working on Batman V Superman taught him as an actor and director. Affleck quickly fired back:

“It taught me not to do interviews with Henry Cavill where I don’t say anything and they can lay Simon and Garfunkel tracks over it. That’s one thing I learned.”

The particular interview Affleck is referencing came during the height of Batman V Superman’s critical response. During the interview, Affleck sat silent while Henry Cavill gave a thoughtful response about the difference between critics and fans. He definitely didn’t have a smile on his face, so a clip quickly began circulating where the video slowly zooms in on Affleck’s face to the tune of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence,” giving birth to the Sad Affleck meme.

All joking aside, Affleck says he actually learned “a ton” about big budget filmmaking during Batman V Superman’s production. Anyone who knows the sheer amount of effects that go into a production of that scale can see that the difference between what goes into a film like Batman V Superman and the average Affleck flick is pretty significant. It appears that’s not all he learned from the experience, though. Sad Affleck jokes aside, the writer/actor/director is handling himself very well as he does press events in the face of waves of negative reviews for Live by Night - a film he has a far more personal stake in than he did with Batman V Superman.

Funny enough, the Sad Affleck meme wasn’t even the first meme of that nature to come out of his portrayal of Batman in the DCEU. After the release of the very first image depicting him as Batman, the internet exploded with memes emphasizing the hero’s downtrodden appearance. All together, it looks like Affleck is in good humor over critics and memes alike, showing he really may have learned a thing or two from the whole fiasco. Hopefully that confidence and thick skin come in handy when he finally tackles The Batman.

Source: BBC Radio 1

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