Ben Affleck expresses disillusionment with politics, rules out running for office

<p>Ben Affleck has stated he is not interested in pursuing a political career. The actor, known for his role in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," expressed his views during an interview with <a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/features/ben-affleck-interview-animals-batman-movie-stars-damon-1236899199/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Variety</a>, describing the idea of becoming a politician as "terrible" and "tawdry."</p><p>Affleck remarked, "There’s a reason why political stories are often chosen as parables for moral compromise. You really get thrust up into the contrast between the ideal version of us and how we should be in our lives and the way it is." He characterized politics as a "very depressing world" and noted that it holds no appeal for him.</p><p>When asked about his support for candidates in the upcoming Los Angeles mayoral election, Affleck declined to reveal his preferences, stating, "I haven’t thought about being asked that. I don’t know if, given this movie, my endorsement harms or helps anybody. I should stay agnostic, at least until the movie comes out."</p><p>In a separate interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7HDlkLmJ-E" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Good Morning America</a>, Affleck discussed the low standards he perceives in politics, saying, "the collective bar for politics because of the way the political world has sort of evolved has gotten so low that there’s this kind of like, you know, people are just sort of looking for like just ‘Somebody shoot me straight.’"</p><p>He expressed a general sentiment that both Democrats and Republicans are failing to meet the needs of the public, stating, "we’re not doing a very good job. We have a system that’s kind of failing us."</p><p>Affleck, who plays a candidate for mayor in his new film "Animals," remarked on the challenges of political campaigning, noting, "This is not all that much fun. And it would be a hard way — you’re just raising money all the time." He humorously recounted an experience where he pretended to run for mayor as his character, saying voters seemed interested and he joked, "If I’m not careful, I’m going to win this."</p><p>In an interview with <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/article317517129.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">USA Today via The Sacramento Bee</a>, Affleck described holding office as an "awful job" and expressed his disillusionment with the political system, citing "hypocrisy, corruption and failure" as reasons for his aversion to politics.</p><p>He criticized the current political landscape, saying, "The way it's constructed now is so geared around money, sound bites, cruelties and gotchas, and little snarky things that really have nothing to do with people's lives whatsoever. And increasingly, it's easier to get votes appealing to the worst in people than it is appealing to the best in them." Affleck concluded by reflecting on the moral compromises individuals make in politics.</p>