After becoming a viral meme during the Grammy Awards in March, Ben Affleck is all over the internet once again, but this time for a very different reason. The Oscar winner, 50, recently did an interview with Spanish radio show La Cadena SER and he spoke Spanish almost the entire time, which really impressed everyone on the internet. Ben showed off his Spanish-speaking skills as he talked about the process creating his new film Air. The network posted a clip from Ben’s interview on TikTok and fans praised the actor for how well he spoke the language.
@la_ser 🏀 #BenAffleck nos confiesa la única petición de #MichaelJordan para #AIR #película #cineentiktok #nike #marcas #basket #foryou #entrevista #curiosidades #airJordan
“The switch from Ben to Benito,” one fan commented on the TikTok, with three laughing-emojis. Another fan said that Ben seems “more attractive” and “looks happier” when he speaks Spanish. Of course, a lot of the comments were about Ben’s wife, Jennifer Lopez, 53, who is Puerto Rican. One fan even said that Ben speaks Spanish better than J.Lo! That’s a big compliment, since J.Lo has shown off her Spanish-speaking skills regularly over the years.
While Ben’s Spanish threw fans for a loop, the Good Will Hunting star has actually talked about his history with the language before. Ben went on The Kelly Clarkson Show back in 2020 and revealed how he learned to “passively” speak a second language. “I did this little kids TV series when I was 13 in Mexico. So I was in Mexico for a year and that’s how I picked it up,” Ben explained.
Ben also revealed during the interview that his daughter Violet, now 17, knows Spanish as well. “All of a sudden, she’s gotten to the grade where she’s in the harder Spanish classes. And she’s getting better,” Ben said about his eldest child that he shares with his ex Jennifer Garner. “She’s right at the point where she’s passing me. And that’s when I was like, ‘Nope, this is not happening. I don’t mind that I can’t do your math homework, you’re 14 years old, but you are not gonna be better at Spanish than me,’ ” Ben added. “So I’ve decided now I’ve got to take classes, I gotta do something to keep up.”
Ben has been busy doing interviews — in English and Spanish — to promote his movie Air, which is getting rave reviews from critics. Ben directed the project, which tells the story of Nike’s journey in signing NBA legend Michael Jordan and launching Air Jordan sneakers in the 1980s. Ben stars in the film, as well, alongside his longtime pal Matt Damon, Jason Bateman and Viola Davis. The new release was first shown at South by Southwest last month and officially hit theaters on Apr. 5.