Ben Affleck Hated ‘Phantoms’ Liked Getting Stoned With Peter O’Toole

I discovered Kevin Smith at the right time. The Tenth Anniversary Clerks DVD was on sale, and a 15-year-old me snatched it up and had his mind blown. Clerks was cool and funny and made movies feel achievable. They were talking about Star Wars and blow jobs, and I sat there, mouth agape, nodding along. I would go on to watch any Kevin Smith movie I could, and since I was fifteen, they started to shape my worldview. So, for a long time, I assumed that when I watched the Joe Chappelle Dean Koontz film Phantoms, I would think Affleck was “the bomb” in it.

Based on one of Koontz’s books, Phantoms is set in a small Colorado town. It deals with the residents disappearing or something. Then, like, the government shows up, I think, cause there’s some cloud monster living in the sewer. I only saw it the one time, and boy, oh boy, did I hate it. I don’t even remember if Affleck was the bomb in it or not. There was no enjoyment on an ironic level; it was just bad. The main thing I remember is the monster looking like a poorly rendered CG mess—the worst the ’90s could offer. Affleck agrees.

The actor recently sat down with GQ to discuss most of his movies, giving insight when he can. When he gets to Phantoms, he says pretty much what you’d expect. “I was the bomb at Phantoms,” Affleck rattled off without thinking twice. “Everyone knows that. Peter O’Toole, by the way. Peter O’Toole signed my Lawrence of Arabia poster. That’s out there on Phantoms. Nicky Katt, Liev Schreiber, I loved doing that movie … Well, no, I didn’t love doing that movie, but I like those people.” You can see Affleck light up when mentioning the other actors, so the love feels genuine. As does the disappointment.

“The movie was a sewer monster movie, let’s face it, and I was a sheriff in Colorado. I was, like, 20 years old. It’s totally absurd,” Affleck noted about his time as a baby-faced sheriff. Still, at the time, the Gigli actor was on top of the world and getting high with a cinematic legend. “The movie was utter garbage but I did get to ski. I made, like, $100,000, so I was like, ‘I’m set for life, I’m retiring,’” he explained. “And I met Peter O’Toole and, like, got stoned with Peter O’Toole. I was like, ‘What else happens in my life that tops this? Nothing’”

I love when actors get candid about stuff like this, but it’s made even better by the fact that Affleck seems like he’s in a good place. Even when asked about Gigli afterward, he gives a knowing smile and an honest answer. The man has been through a lot since 1998. He’s made mistakes, and Phantoms is… one of them. But he’s looking back at elements of it with fondness, and we should all be so lucky to reflect on our mistakes that way.