Michael Bay’s Armageddon remains a fan favorite of many even after almost 30 years after its release, and it’s one of Bruce Willis’ best flicks. The film is packed with Bay’s special sauce, which he applies to the high-stakes action, explosions and tear-jerking moments. However, shooting one of the most emotional scenes wasn’t easy on Ben Affleck. Bay recently revealed that Affleck had the stomach flu while filming a particularly intense moment, though Bay has an upbeat take on that.
The 60-year-old filmmaker was present at SXSW, where he chatted with The Hollywood Reporter. Details on the director’s new movie centered around parkour were discussed. However, there were also behind the scenes stories shared about some of Michael Bay’s best blockbuster hits. Apparently, Armageddon was one of his favorite sets to be on because of the camaraderie, And, while Ben Affleck ended up being pretty miserable during one moment of shooting, it sounds like everything worked out:
That movie was such a blast. It was like a summer camp and I was the counselor. Everyone was so misbehaved and so funny. I’ll tell you the truth. There was a three-gallon painting bucket next to Ben Affleck. He had the stomach flu. He felt like shit. He looked like shit, too. And he had to do that scene between him throwing up. We kept shooting him. And he’s great in that. And he’s great in that partially because he had the stomach flu.
The scene in question is when Affleck’s character, A.J. Frost, has to say goodbye to Bruce Willis’ Harry Stamper, who he sees as a mentor (and potentially his future father-in-law). Frost is in tears as Stamper sacrifices himself to manually detonate a bomb and save the world. It’s a classic cinematic tragedy that continues to move audiences to tears and is one of the most memorable scenes of the ’90s action film.
Amid the scene, Ben Affleck is sweaty, and his breakdown feels authentic, probably because it was. Flop sweat and the effects of the stomach flu likely enhanced his performance, and that’s likely why Michael Bay thinks it all worked out well. Considering how the scene plays, it’s hard to disagree with that notion. Nevertheless, it sounds like a gnarly experience.
I can’t imagine having to go through that. Filming action-packed blockbusters can require a lot of physicality in general, but being sick on top of it? That’s next-level brutal. Also, Michael Bay is known for his fast-paced directing style, which means there may have been little time for Affleck to rest in between, just enough time to get sick and start over again. Given that, at the time, the eventual Argo helmer was a young actor just starting out, he may have been looking to prove he could act through discomfort. If that was the case, he certainly succeeded, and you can see the clip below:
![ARMAGEDDON [1998] Scene:](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OYcTmiCtCv8/maxresdefault.jpg)
Even if this particular scene was pretty brutal for the co-lead to shoot, it’s cool to hear that the set in general had a fun, summer camp vibe. Ben Affleck has been vocal over the years about giving Michael Bay a hard time over some of the plot inconsistencies in Armageddon, but his consistently snarky/jokey tone speaks to a real bond between a director and actor. I’d love to see these two work together again and cook up another, fun sci-fi blockbuster that has to be seen on the big screen.
Affleck is a very experienced actor now, so hopefully he’d be able to leave the paint bucket behind and deliver another excellent Michael Bay-directed performance But, this time, without the stomach flu. You can see Affleck’s performance in Armageddon now by renting the movie on Amazon. Fans of the actor should also check out our feature on what other upcoming projects Affleck has heading to the big screen in the near future.
