Ben Affleck’s multilingual skills have blown everyone away. In a new interview with the Spanish radio network La Cadena SER, the Air director showcased his Spanish-speaking abilities. The network posted a short clip of the actor with his response, which went viral quickly. He explained why the movie about the iconic Michael Jordan Nike brand shoe is so important — this is a translation of what he said: “The story of the movie is so big, so important, so magnificent that there’s not an actor in the world who could be cast to play him whom the audience would believe. “They would immediately think, ‘This is all bulls—. This movie is bulls—. I don’t believe any of this,’” Affleck continued. “And they would destroy it completely.”
The Argo director learned Spanish quickly after moving to Mexico with his family for a year at 13 to film a television show. During an interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, he described himself as “passively fluent” in Spanish. “I did this little kids’ TV series when I was young and I was 13, and this season was in Mexico. I was in Mexico for a year.” According to the “Since You’ve Been Gone” singer, it’s easier to learn languages when you’re young. “The older brain doesn’t hold on to information easily.” Affleck also discussed the interest his daughter has in Spanish. “I’ll often help her, and now she’s gotten in the grade where she’s in the harder Spanish classes. She’s getting better, and she’s like right at the point where I think she might be passing me. And that was when I was like, nope, this is not happening. I don’t mind that I can’t do your math homework, but you can’t be better at Spanish than me.” He joked that he got tutors so he wouldn’t fall behind and that his daughter laughed at him for misusing tense.
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The actor also complained about the differences between different Spanish-speaking countries. “The problem with Spanish is that you learn about a bunch of words from Mexico. Then you go somewhere else like Spain or South America, and they’re like, ‘No, that’s not Spanish.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean it’s not Spanish?’ ‘I have never heard that word in my life.’ He also noted that people say that he has a Mexican accent. It is common for Affleck to speak Spanish to the press and the paparazzi. The video, “Ben Affleck talking in Spanish for two minutes straight with paparazzi,” shows him casually discussing his Fourth of July plans and how he is always learning the language, but sometimes it is difficult. “This language drives me crazy every time.” He also conducted a complete interview in Spanish about his film and immersion in the language. The internet goes crazy whenever a clip of Ben speaking Spanish goes viral. “My mind cannot retain the info that Ben Affleck speaks amazing Spanish,” one user wrote on Twitter. “I’m surprised every time.”
