‘Chasing Amy’ director Kevin Smith has told an audience in Los Angeles that Ben Affleck was initially hesitant about kissing his on-screen best friend, played by Jason Lee, in the late 90s comedy.
At a 20th anniversary screening of the film at an LGBTI film festival, Smith told the crowd that after during filming Affleck remarked: “A man kissing another man is the greatest acting challenge an actor can ever face.”
After the scene with Lee was shot, Smith noted that the 23-year-old Affleck said: “Now I’m a serious actor”.
Affleck also made comments about the scene in a 1997 interview with Entertainment Tonight saying:
“I’m not homophobic…I guess I am, more than I thought, in that, you know, it was just difficult for me, and I didn’t think it would be.”
The newly surfaced comments are being fiercely criticised on social media with actor Evan Rachel Wood writing on Twitter: “Try getting raped in a scene. Also, grow up Ben.”
After Smith's comments went viral online, he tweeted to say that there was "no way" that Affleck still felt that way in 2017.
Affleck is yet to comment on the situation.