From goofy sidekick and Ben’s little bro to Oscar nominee, Casey’s done his growing up on camera

By Stephanie M. Kim

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 2/24/07 – Best supporting actor nominee Casey Affleck has come a long way since one of his first minor roles as one of Matt Damon’s obnoxious-but-lovable, blue-collar best friends in 1997’s “Good Will Hunting.”

Even just a few years ago, Affleck was best known as one of the goofy Malloy brothers in “Ocean’s Eleven.” Or even more simply, he was known as Ben Affleck’s kid brother. But these days, the younger of the two Afflecks has been establishing himself as force to be reckoned with in the acting industry.

2007 has proven to be a very successful year for Affleck. He has received critical acclaim for his role as Patrick Kenzie in the crime thriller “Gone Baby Gone,” (which big brother Ben produced and directed). Most importantly, Affleck has received his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as Robert Ford in “The Assassination of Jesse James.”

Affleck’s sudden boom of critical success comes after years of playing minor roles in some great (and some not so great) movies. “It’s great to be in something that people like, and to have done something that people respond to. I’ve experienced the flipside of that, and it’s not so good,” Affleck told Hollywood Today.

But now, Affleck is starting to emerge as an actor who is able to provide depth and compassion to even the most sinister of characters. This is especially true of Affleck’s portrayal the historically infamous Robert Ford. Ford was responsible for the assassination of Western folk hero, Jesse James in 1882.

“I think he’s a really complicated, great character. I loved him because everyone already had one idea of him, and it seemed like a challenge to show other sides of him—Convince people that he was something else other than what everyone was already certain that he was: This two-dimensional coward,” Affleck explained.

Affleck also enjoyed the experience of working with Hollywood heavyweight, Brad Pitt on the set of “Jesse James.” He told Hollywood Today, “Working with Brad was incredible. He was the producer, he was the star and he was a very gracious, giving actor. And then he goes off and does a hundred other things—he gives his time to charities and he’s a good friend. He seems like he has 100 hours in his day. I’m sort of in awe of him, and that definitely helped me play the character—because it’s very easy to be in awe of Brad, and that’s what I needed to be.”

Despite the fact that he has worked with mega movie stars like Pitt, Affleck isn’t one to forget his roots. Released less than a month after “Jesse James” this past fall was big brother Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, “Gone Baby Gone.” For the film, both Ben and Casey returned to their childhood stomping grounds: South Boston.

Casey spoke to us about the advantages of shooting the film in his hometown. He said, “Obviously it was a great advantage to both be from Boston and be familiar with what the place is like— to know it intimately and personally and also to have a director who was getting it right… Ben had a great eye for environment. It felt very authentic.”

Although Casey is a long shot to win the for Supporting Actor at the Oscars this year (he’s up against Javier Bardem’s powerhouse performance in “No Country for Old Men”), both of Affleck’s extraordinary dramatic performances prove that he’s finally all grown up.

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