Ben Affleck Says He Was ‘Too Sick to Work’ on This Sci-Fi Film—Vomiting Between Takes
Ben Affleck recently shared a surprising behind-the-scenes story that completely changes how fans may see one of Armageddon’s most emotional moments. The actor opened up about the famous goodbye scene with Bruce Willis and revealed that what viewers saw on screen was influenced by a very real physical struggle.
The story came from an interview with Fox 32 Chicago, where Affleck spoke honestly about his experience while filming the 1998 sci-fi disaster movie. During the shoot, Affleck was dealing with severe food poisoning. While audiences believed his tears were purely acting, Affleck says his body was fighting him the entire time.
The scene shows his character, A.J. Frost, saying goodbye to Harry Stamper, played by Bruce Willis, as the mission to save Earth reaches its final moments. It has long been considered the emotional heart of the film. According to Affleck, that day on set was one of the hardest of his early career.
“When we shot that scene, I had food poisoning,” Affleck admitted during the interview.
At the time, Affleck was still new to major Hollywood productions. He explained that he didn’t feel confident enough to speak up or ask for a break, even though he was extremely sick.
“I wasn’t an experienced enough actor at that point to know that you can just pick up the phone and be like, ‘I’m too sick to work today,’” he said. “I’m like, ‘I better come in.’ So I went and I was literally, it’s the only time it’s ever happened in my life, vomiting between takes.”
The sickness ended up adding an unexpected layer to the scene. The characters were supposed to be tired, sweaty, and under extreme pressure, and Affleck’s real condition matched that energy. Looking back, he even joked that it may have helped his performance. “It probably made the scene better,” he said with a laugh.
Affleck also shared that the memory came up recently after he ran into his former co-star Steve Buscemi. The two reunited at the premiere of Affleck’s new Netflix film, The Rip, which brought back memories of working on Armageddon.
“I actually saw Steve Buscemi last night at the premiere for ‘The Rip,’ and we were reminiscing about that movie and thinking about how that was the weirdest, kind of wonderful, strange, otherworldly movie experience,” Affleck recalled.
Armageddon was released in 1998 and was directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The movie followed a group of oil drillers sent into space to stop an asteroid from destroying Earth. The cast included Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan, and several other well-known names.
Even though critics were divided on the film, it became a massive success at the box office. According to studio records, the movie earned more than $553 million worldwide and ended up being the highest-grossing film of that year.
Since then, Affleck’s career has grown far beyond his early blockbuster days. He has won Academy Awards for writing Good Will Hunting and producing Argo, which he also directed. He now runs Artists Equity, a production company he founded with Matt Damon, focused on fair pay for cast and crew.
Today, Affleck continues to act and produce, with projects like The Rip and The Accountant 2 keeping him busy. But for many fans, Armageddon remains one of his most memorable roles. Knowing the truth behind that emotional scene adds a new, raw layer to a moment that has stayed with audiences for decades.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!