Ben Affleck Was “Vomiting Between Takes” Of Armageddon’s Most Emotional Scene

Armageddon‘s most emotional scene concerned Ben Affleck throwing up between takes, the actor now reveals. Launched in 1998, the Michael Bay catastrophe thriller is stuffed with bombastic motion sequences, however a extra touching second happens when Bruce Willis’ character says a ultimate farewell earlier than sacrificing himself to save lots of Earth.

In a current interview with Jake’s Takes and Fox 32 Chicago, Affleck now shares that his aspect of this tear-jerking Armageddon scene was filmed whereas he had meals poisoning. The second options Willis’ Harry Stamper lastly giving Affleck’s A.J. Frost approval to marry his daughter, performed by Liv Tyler. As Affleck explains, although, the fact on set was far much less sentimental:

“After we shot that scene, I had meals poisoning. I wasn’t an skilled sufficient actor at that time to know you would simply decide up the telephone and say, ‘I am too sick to work at this time.’ Solely time it is ever occurred in my life. Vomiting between takes. That they had a rubbish can they usually’d say reduce and [makes barfing sounds]. It most likely made the scene higher.”

This second of understanding between the 2 characters serves because the emotional climax of the movie. After a malfunction in a distant detonator forces A.J. to remain behind and detonate the nuke manually to save lots of Earth from the upcoming asteroid, Harry takes his place, telling Affleck’s character that he sees him like a son.

Although Willis stays pretty composed all through the scene, Affleck has a whole lot of emotional appearing to do, conveying simply how painful this sacrifice is for him. The truth that Affleck was affected by meals poisoning throughout filming actually provides some attention-grabbing new context to his efficiency.

This additionally is not the primary time Affleck has spoken up about Armageddon, as his DVD commentary for the film is now very well-known. Affleck famously identified within the commentary that it will have made extra sense to coach astronauts to be drillers quite than prepare drillers to be astronauts, as is featured within the movie.

For Affleck, Armageddon adopted the success of Good Will Looking (1997), for which he received an Oscar alongside Matt Damon for Greatest Unique Screenplay. Affleck and Bay would go on to collaborate as soon as extra with World Struggle 2 film Pearl Harbor (2001), although that movie has not endured in widespread tradition like Armageddon has.

Additionally starring Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, Billy Bob Thornton, William Fichtner, and Michael Clarke Duncan, amongst others, the 1997 catastrophe flick grossed $553 million worldwide on an estimated finances of $140 million. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie solely has a 43% critics’ rating, but it surely was successful with audiences, and it’s broadly thought of a spotlight of its style.

Most lately, Affleck could be seen starring reverse Matt Damon in The Rip (2026), a brand new Netflix crime thriller from director Joe Carnahan. Whereas Affleck has gone on to look in various hit movies since Armageddon, his recollection of the shoot suggests the blockbuster stays a very vivid chapter in his profession.