Ben Affleck has revealed that he felt a lot of empathy for Britney Spears during a time when she was being relentlessly hounded by paparazzi.
In a candid interview on the This Past Weekend With Theo Von podcast, the actor and filmmaker opened up about the harsh realities of fame and how he relates to those in the spotlight. “A long time ago, years and years ago, I really had a lot of empathy for Britney Spears,” he shared. “Because I remember it seemed like… these people are following her around in a time where she may or may not have been having difficulty.”
Ben continued, “But having had my own experience myself, I knew that these are people who are following her around in a time where she may or may not have been having difficulty – I don’t know because I don’t know her.”
He went on to explain how the constant media attention only seemed to exacerbate the situation. “But I do know that the cycle of having people harangue you and yell at you and hassle you and follow you. It seemed like that itself was kind of whipping up the whole thing into a tizzy,” Ben added, reported Page Six.
Describing it as “cultural cruelty,” the Agro actor said, “That’s the first time I thought this is kind of a weird, unintentional — I think culturally — but kind of collective cruelty where what’s taken out of the image that you see are the people around waving the stick at the tiger or poking on it.”
Although Ben didn’t specify a particular event, it’s likely he was referring to the difficult period in Britney’s life, particularly in 2007, when she was publicly struggling following her breakup and the infamous moment when she shaved her head. It’s clear that Ben understands how invasive and damaging the public eye can be, especially during a vulnerable time.