Ben Affleck says he didn't mind the 'Sad Affleck' meme, but it was 'really tough' knowing his kids would see it

• Ben Affleck finds the "Sad Affleck Meme" funny but not when it comes to how his kids may deem it.
• "The Tender Bar" actor recently told the LA Times that he wonders how his kids will discern it.

Ben Affleck had no qualms with the viral "Sad Affleck" meme, but recently opened up about how he worried it would affect his kids. During a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, "The Tender Bar" actor spoke about coming to terms with how he's perceived.

"I got to a place where [the public perception] was so different from who I am that I just stopped reading and stopped caring," he said.

He continued: "But then, as my kids got older and started seeing the internet themselves, that's the difficult part. Even the 'Sad Affleck' meme — that was funny to me. I mean, there's nobody who hasn't felt that way at a junket. But then my kids see it and I think, 'Oh, are they going to think their dad is fundamentally sad or they have to worry about me?' That's really tough."

Affleck shares three kids — Violet, 16, Seraphina, 13, and Samuel, 9 — with ex-wife Jennifer Gardner.

The "Sad Affleck" meme originated from a video of the Affleck somberly staring off during a press junket interview for "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

In a parody video, YouTuber Sabconth zoomed in on the moment Affleck sat zoned out while his costar, Henry Cavill, answered questions about mixed reviews the film received. The YouTuber added Simon and Garfunkel's song "The Sound of Silence" in the background and clips of negative headlines.

When asked by the LA Times how he felt knowing the public was rooting for his redemption, Affleck waxed poetic on how "that's common to all storytelling."

"The whole architecture of the three-act narrative is you start off a story with somebody, throw rocks at them for two acts until it seems like they can't possibly make it, and then have them succeed," he said.

He continued: "And there are times my life has at least externally looked like that. There is something about people going, 'Wow, this person really seems like they're going through a lot of suffering. I feel for them.' But I don't want to live that way to have you like me."

Affleck is choosing to focus on his happiness now and spend more time with his kids. As previously reported by Insider, Affleck has been open about prioritizing time with his children, even while filming or promoting a movie.

"The Tender Bar" is out now in theaters.