Ben Affleck Refuses to Join the 'Circus' of U.S. Politics Amid 'Disappointment' in Government: 'Nobody Alive Thinks We're Doing It Right'

Ben Affleck may play a businessman running for office in the new movie Animals, but that doesn't mean he's interested in going down that path in real life, RadarOnline.com can report.

During a recent interview, the actor and longtime political activist revealed that he has zero interest in running for political office, despite the fact that some of his castmates have suggested it might be a good career move.

“We don’t ask the question of what are your qualifications to hold public office any longer,” Affleck explained. “It’s, ‘You wanna join the circus? Who’s the biggest carny?’"

He continued, "I think that there is a whatever side of the aisle you’re on, one of the interesting things that people can agree on is a collective disappointment with the way that American politics has trended.”

"There’s nobody alive now who thinks, hey, we’re really doing it right and things are going great and I love this political system," the Oscar-winner added. "And that’s a problem.”

Affleck went on to describe how he believes politicians no longer prioritize serving the people.

“It’s just about money, raising money, it’s just about playing a sort of adolescent game of who can make fun of the other person better or be more reductive and stupid about something rather than actually trying to talk about the issues,” he argued. “I think the thing that’s missing from politics, frankly, is you have to lead."

"You can’t just scare people," he noted. "You can’t just hector them. You can’t lecture them. You can’t guilt them into it."

"You’ve got to inspire them," Affleck concluded. "Otherwise, they don’t want to vote for you.”

Kerry Washington plays Affleck's wife in Animals. She said that while she believes he would be a great leader, people should run for office of their own volition.

“We keep telling him that he should, but he doesn’t want to,” Washington revealed. “You know, we’re in a place in our politics right now where anything is possible, but I would hope that the people who are running for office want to be there, and he has been very explicit in saying that he doesn’t want to run for office.”

Luis Gerardo Méndez, another one of Affleck's co-stars, believes he'd be a shoo-in.

“I would definitely vote for him,” he declared. “Go Ben Affleck! He’s smart and s-xy — that’s all you need.”