In Ben's shadow: Casey Affleck on fame
Is it Casey Affleck's turn? Ben Affleck, 44, already has two of 'em. Isn't it about time his remarkably talented brother Casey also won an Oscar?
Is it Casey Affleck's turn?
Ben Affleck, 44, already has two of 'em. Isn't it about time his remarkably talented brother Casey also won an Oscar?
It may finally happen.
Variety says Casey, 41, is the front-runner for best actor for his role in Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea, an acclaimed drama that will screen Saturday at the Philadelphia Film Fest.
Affleck plays a misfit eking out a living as a janitor who returns to his Massachusetts hometown after a tragedy.
Why has Casey never attained Ben-level stardom?
He chooses little indie flicks such as To Die For and Ain't Them Bodies Saints, while his bro goes for blockbusters.
Asked whether he'd ever star in a comic book pic, Casey tells Variety, "I haven't seen any I like," before realizing it's an insult to Ben. "I saw Batman," he adds, referring to his brother's Batman v. Superman. "I did like that."
Fame almost came in '08, when Casey got an Oscar nod for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. "I was told . . . I would get more opportunities. And the opportunities never arrived," he says. "I feel like whenever I do a movie, people think, 'Well, that's good, but that's probably the best he'll do'." He says he's been paying his dues for years.
"People say, 'Now a million doors will open for you.' And they don't. I'm 41, and it's been many years of banging and kicking."
215-854-2736