Ben Affleck Slams 'Wrong And Disgusting' Paparazzi For Following Celebrity Kids
In a new Playboy interview, the 41-year-old father of three explains to the magazine what he calls "the crucible by flashbulb."
"You can say what you want about me. You can yell at me with a video camera and be TMZ. You can follow me around and take pictures all you want. I don't care. There are a couple of guys outside right now. Terrific. That's part of the deal," says Affleck.
But when it comes to his family and young children, the future Batman is fiercely protective.
"It's wrong and disgusting to follow children around and take their picture and sell it for money," he says. "It makes the kids less safe. They used to take pictures of our children coming out of preschool, and so this stalker who had threatened to kill me, my wife and our kids showed up at the school and got arrested. I mean, there are real practical dangers to this."
Affleck continues, "My kids aren't celebrities. They never made that bargain. We were offered a lot of money to sell pictures of our kids when they were born. You'll notice there aren't any. I make no judgment about people who decide differently; a lot of them give the money to charity. For me it was a matter of principle. I didn't want someone to be able to come back and say I was complicit, that it wasn't a question of principle as much as price."
And he didn't stop there.
"The tragic thing is, people who see those pictures naturally think it's sweet," Affleck explains. "They don't see the gigantic former gang member with a huge lens standing over a four-year-old and screaming to get the kid's attention."
"The kids are always looking down because they're freaked out and scared of these people. And so they yell. Which is fine if you're Lindsay Lohan coming out of a club, or me or any adult," adds Affleck. "With kids it's tasteless at best."
The issue is clearly something Affleck's family feels strongly about.
In August, his wife, actress Jennifer Garner, testified in defense of stricter laws preventing paparazzi from terrorizing celebrity kids.