The emotional climax of Michael Bay’s 1998 disaster epic Armageddon has brought audiences to tears for nearly three decades, but according to Ben Affleck, the tears on his face during that pivotal goodbye were more “gut-wrenching” than anyone realized.
In a recent interview with Fox 32 Chicago while promoting his new Netflix thriller The Rip, Affleck revealed that he was battling a severe case of food poisoning while filming the iconic sequence where Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) sacrifices himself to save the world.
“Vomiting Between Takes”
As a young actor in his 20s, Affleck admitted he didn’t realize that “calling out sick” was even an option on a major movie set.
“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,’” Affleck recalled. “I was 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 production had to place a garbage can just off-camera so Affleck could relieve himself as soon as the director yelled “Cut.” Despite the physical agony, Affleck quipped that the illness actually helped his performance. “It probably made the scene better,” he laughed, noting that the genuine distress on his face added a layer of unintended vulnerability to the farewell.
Reminiscing at ‘The Rip’ Premiere
The memory was triggered after Affleck reunited with Armageddon co-star Steve Buscemi at the premiere of The Rip last week. The two actors spent the night reminiscing about the “weirdest, wonderful, strange, otherworldly movie experience” that was the Armageddon shoot.
Affleck also took a moment to praise Bruce Willis, who retired from acting in 2022 following a diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia. He described Willis as being “really nice to everybody” on set, a sentiment echoed by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who recently recalled Willis’ habit of contributing large amounts of cash to weekly crew giveaways.
A Legacy of “Honest” Commentary
This isn’t the first time Affleck has been brutally honest about his experience on the film. Earlier this month, he appeared on Criterion’s Closet Picks and declared his infamous Armageddon DVD commentary to be the “best work of his career.”
“It’s because I didn’t know any better than to be really honest,” Affleck said. Whether he’s roasting the logic of training oil drillers to be astronauts or revealing his behind-the-scenes physical struggles, Affleck’s transparency continues to make Armageddon one of the most talked-about films in his filmography.
