Ben Affleck calls US politics 'terrible' and 'tawdry'

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 12 Oct, 06:36 · Archive

Actor Ben Affleck says he finds US politics depressing and has no interest in running for office.

Ben Affleck has said he finds US politics 'very depressing' and has no interest in running for public office. Speaking to Variety and Good Morning America while promoting a film in which he plays a Los Angeles mayoral candidate, the 54-year-old called politics 'tawdry' and said the system is 'kind of failing us'.

Affleck declined to endorse either candidate in Los Angeles's November mayoral election, saying his endorsement might harm rather than help a candidate. He noted that the political world has 'gotten so low' that voters across party lines appear to want straightforward candidates. He reflected that playing a mayoral candidate had taught him that politics 'is not all that much fun'.

The New York Post reports that Affleck, who once campaigned for Al Gore and Barack Obama, is now 'averse' to politics. He told the outlet that political stories often serve as 'parables for moral compromise', contrasting 'the ideal version of us' with how things actually function.

How it is being reported

• Ben Affleck says political ‘hypocrisy, corruption and failure’ left him ‘disillusioned’The actor, who once campaigned for Al Gore and Barack Obama, says he's now 'averse' to politics due to corruption.New York Post · 12 Oct, 06:28
• Ben Affleck says political 'hypocrisy, corruption and failure' left him 'disillusioned'Ben Affleck calls U.S. politics "terrible" and "tawdry" while promoting "Animals," a new movie in which he plays an L.A. mayoral candidate.Fox News · 11 Oct, 22:36

In this story: Ben Affleck · Al Gore · Barack Obama · Los Angeles

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