Ben Affleck Discusses Parents' Deaths on Kerry Washington Podcast
Actor Ben Affleck spoke about the recent passing of his mother and father during an interview on Kerry Washington's podcast, reflecting on his childhood and his mother's life.
Actor Ben Affleck opened up about the recent deaths of his parents, Timothy Affleck and Chris Anne Affleck, in an interview on Kerry Washington's "Street You Grew Up On" podcast. He said both parents had died, his mother in June after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer and his father earlier in April, a loss confirmed by his brother Casey at a recent film festival press conference.
Affleck said the bereavement prompted him to reconsider his own childhood and to appreciate his mother's sacrifices more deeply. He noted that his mother, a public-school teacher for 35 years, had written letters to her own parents that revealed her ambitions and involvement in civil-rights protests, offering him a new perspective on her life beyond her role as a parent.
He reflected that he had previously viewed his mother primarily through the lens of her relationship to him and his brother, and that reading her letters helped him recognize her as an individual with her own achievements and passions. Affleck also mentioned his own family, noting he has three children with former spouse Jennifer Garner, while his brother Casey has two adult children.