Steven Spielberg “Refused” to Work With Ben Affleck After an Alleged Family Pool Party Incident

It turns out that even the biggest names in Hollywood aren’t immune to a bit of petty drama. Filmmaker Mike Binder recently spilled some seriously vintage tea on Stephen Baldwin’s One Bad Movie podcast, claiming that legendary director Steven Spielberg once flat-out refused to work with Ben Affleck. Why? Well, it all goes back to a rather damp family vacation in Spain.

The story dates back to the late ’90s when Affleck was dating Spielberg’s goddaughter, Gwyneth Paltrow. According to Binder, the tension started during a trip where a young Ben Affleck allegedly had a run-in with Spielberg’s son. Binder recalled Spielberg telling him, “‘My son was a little boy, he was playing in the pool, and he got out of the pool, and Ben came in fully dressed, and my son pushed Ben into the pool.'”

You might think a movie star would laugh off a splash from a kid, but apparently not. Binder claims Spielberg said, “‘And Ben got really mad at him, and he came out of the pool and picked him up and threw him back into the pool, and made my son cry.'”

Fast forward to the mid-2000s, and Binder was trying to get his film Man About Town off the ground at DreamWorks. Spielberg was initially interested in directing or producing, but the vibe shifted the second Affleck’s name came up for the lead role. Binder says the Steven Spielberg response was immediate and icy: “‘No. Can’t do it with him. We just bombed with a movie with him, he’s got that whole J-Lo thing going on now, and I have other problems with him.'”

When Binder pressed for more details, the director didn’t hold back. According to Binder, the legendary filmmaker said, “‘I just don’t like to work with him. Plus his last two movies bombed. Find somebody else. Anyone but him. He’s cold as hell.'”

The pool incident was clearly still fresh in Affleck’s mind too. When Binder’s team told Affleck the deal was off, the actor didn’t need a map to find the reason. Affleck reportedly called Binder up and asked, “‘Did Steven Spielberg tell you I threw his kid in the water? Is that what happened? Is that why I’m not on your movie?'”

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Eventually, the project left DreamWorks, and Binder made the movie with Affleck elsewhere. Thankfully, time (and Oscar wins) seems to have healed these wounds. After Affleck’s Argo beat Spielberg’s Lincoln for Best Picture in 2013, the two were seen hugging. Binder even texted Affleck that night, joking, “‘Ben, tonight you could throw Spielberg’s whole family in the pool and get away with it.'”

Affleck’s response? A phone call an hour later just to say, “‘That made me laugh so f***ing hard.'”

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