Ben Affleck puked between takes shooting big “Armageddon” scene with Bruce Willis: 'Probably made the scene better'
- - Ben Affleck puked between takes shooting big “Armageddon” scene with Bruce Willis: 'Probably made the scene better'
Mekishana PierreJanuary 17, 2026 at 10:07 PM
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Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck in 1998's 'Armageddon'
Ben Affleck's time working on Michael Bay's sci-fi blockbuster Armageddon is memorable for a lot of reasons — it was one of his first major films as a young actor, he was working alongside an iconic ensemble cast that included Bruce Willis, and it was the only time he's ever gotten food poisoning while making a movie.
The Rip star recently revealed that he was hit with an intense bout of nausea right as he began shooting one of the film's most emotional scenes, the impactful moment in which Willis' Harry S. Stamper switches places with Affleck's A.J. Frost before sacrificing himself to save the planet from an asteroid.
"When we shot that scene, I had food poisoning," Affleck recalled during a recent interview with Fox 32 Chicago. "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.' I'm like, 'I better come in.'"
Frank Masi/Touchstone Pictures
Ben Affleck in 'Armageddon'
So Affleck headed to set, where his body continued to remind him that food poisoning is no joke. "I went and I was literally — it's the only time it's ever happened in my life — vomiting between takes," he remembered, laughing. "They had a garbage can and I was [vomiting between takes]. And it probably made the scene better."
Luckily, the puking didn't scar Affleck, who went on to gush about what he appreciated while filming the 1998 box office smash, including how it afforded him the opportunity to work closely with so many talented actors, including Willis, who he said was "really nice to everybody."
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Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Will Patton also starred in the disaster film, as well as Liv Tyler, who played Affleck's love interest Grace Stamper, Harry’s daughter.
"I actually saw Steve Buschemi 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 that neither one of us had any experience with anything like it," he added.
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Earlier this year, Affleck appeared on Criterion's latest Closet Picks to discuss some of the most formative flicks that have shaped his love of cinema, during which he declared his infamous DVD commentary for Armageddon the best work in his filmography.
Everett Collection The cast of 'Armageddon'
"I was surprised when I heard Criterion was doing Armageddon. I didn't think of it as that kind of movie when we did it," Affleck said while holding the DVD for the 1998 feature. "And in retrospect, now, I feel like my best work in my career is the commentary on this disc."
"People approach me to talk about the commentary on this disc as much as they do movies that I've been in," Affleck continued. "And it's because I didn't know any better than to be really honest. I won't spoil it for those of you who are interested. It is an achievement that I am proud of and didn't intend to be as good as I now think it is at the time."
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
