Ben Affleck Addresses Him Lying About His Back Tattoo

Ben Affleck’s large and controversial back tattoo has been cause for a lot of conversation since as early as 2016. Photos of the tattoo — which depicts a multicolored phoenix and was compared to a Greg Capullo Batman cover by some of the earliest stories about the ink — went viral around that time, and when he was pressed about it, Affleck denied in an interview with Extra that it was real. That little fib made the media rounds, too, before he quashed it during a later interview on Ellen in which he talked about the tattoo being personally important to him.

The question has remained, though, why lie about it at all? And during an interview in support of his latest film, he got pressed on the issue by the New York Times.

“I resented that somebody got a picture of it by spying on me,” Affleck told The Times. “It felt invasive. But you’re right. I could have said, ‘That’s none of your business.’ I guess I got a kick out of messing with Extra. Is your tattoo real or not real? Of course, it’s real! No, I put a fake tattoo on my back and then hid it.”

It’s an understandable enough answer, if you look at it from his perspective: he was frustrated, and likely knew that he would be asked about the tattoo…but being asked whether it was real, rather than being asked about it, gave him an opportunity to be snarky and mischievous. If he went in with the intent of denying its existence, that’s one thing, but responding to what likely seemed like a question with a really obvious answer is a different thing.

Following the frustration of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the failure of Justice League, Affleck’s personal life started to make headlines again, with his marriage falling apart and rumors about a relapse of his alcoholism. He has been making a kind of apology tour this week while talking to the media about his latest film, in which the character he plays has some similar challenges.

Affleck is bouncing back with The Way Back, a new drama in theaters on March 6, which brings him back together with The Accountant director Gavin O’Connor.

His take on Batman ended after Justice League but the DC film universe is bouncing back; Aquaman was a massive hit with audiences, and both Shazam! and Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn have been more modest financial successes but scored critical raves. The Batman is set for a release in 2021, starring Robert Pattinson in the title role and using a script unrelated to the one Ben Affleck wrote of the same name.