I have to confess, I have a bit of a crush on Ben Affleck. My husband gets it. It’s fine.

And just so you know, this is not some schoolgirl, “Isn’t he dreamy?” crush. One of my many gigs in Hollywood is moderating Q&As during awards season, and years ago, when Argo was the surprise hit of the year, I had the privilege of hosting “An Evening With Ben Affleck” for the Writers Guild Foundation, which was comprised of just him and me on a stage for an hour and a half. Now that’s dreamy.

He was, by far, the easiest, most down-to-earth celebrity I’ve ever met or worked with, and that’s still true to this day, although Sean Penn came a close second (nope, not kidding…he was lovely!)

That humility and generosity of spirit you see on TV – it’s not an act. That’s what he’s like in real life (which I can’t say for everyone I’ve been privileged enough to work with…) So it is no surprise that he provided my favorite happiness-focused response of the entire awards cavalcade that year or any year since.

At the Golden Globes, when asked backstage about being left out of the Best Director nominations for the Academy Awards, Mr. Affleck said:

“We got nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture…. If you can’t be happy with that then your prospects for long-term happiness are probably pretty dim.”

To that, I say, “Bravo!!!”

Happiness is not getting everything you’ve ever wanted exactly when you want it. Happiness is looking at what you’ve got and saying, “Daaaamn. This is good.”

I know this is a tough year, as we prepare to watch this year’s Emmy Awards not only from our living rooms, but seeing into the living rooms of the nominees because everyone is stuck at home! But that doesn’t mean your prospects for long-term happiness should be dim.

Just remember to be like Ben Affleck, and be happy with what you’ve got.

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2 Responses

  1. Sounds like the difference between motivated and driven, Very nice to hear that there are some quality people out there in the lime light, people often do get motivated through such avenues.

  2. I don’t recall you wearing sparkly hoop earrings for the other speakers you interviewed…
    😉