EXCLUSIVE: How Bruce Willis Helped Ben Affleck Become a Hollywood Player

Bruce Willis helped Ben Affleck navigate his early Hollywood career with some unexpected advice – including a warning his voice was too high-pitched to become a major movie star, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Affleck, 54, recalled how Willis, 71, took him under his wing while they worked together on the 1998 disaster blockbuster Armageddon.

The veteran Die Hard actor offered guidance on everything from his younger co-star's speaking voice to the film roles he should accept, although Affleck admitted he did not always follow his recommendations.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Affleck said: "Bruce Willis once turned to me and was like, 'Your voice is too high.'"

The Oscar-winning filmmaker recalled being baffled by the suggestion his natural speaking voice could damage his prospects of becoming a leading man.

He said: "I was like, 'What?' He was like, 'Don't have that high voice.' I was like, 'Bruce, that's just my voice. Can I change that?'"

Willis apparently believed his advice could help Affleck establish the commanding screen presence associated with Hollywood's biggest action stars.

Affleck recalled Willis responding: "You don't wanna sound like that, man! I'm helping you out!"

Despite ignoring the suggestion, Affleck remembered the exchange affectionately, insisting Willis had been genuinely interested in helping him succeed.

"(He's) the sweetest guy in the world. I love Bruce, and he really was giving me a tip," the Good Will Hunting star recalled.

Their friendship developed during a pivotal period in Affleck's career, following his breakthrough with Good Will Hunting, which earned him and Matt Damon an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Working alongside Willis in Armageddon subsequently helped establish Affleck as a commercially successful leading actor. However, Willis also offered career guidance which proved considerably less reliable.

Affleck revealed that his co-star discouraged him from appearing in the 1998 romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love, which subsequently won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

He said: "He was like, 'Man, don't go do that Shakespeare movie, man. You don't wanna do that movie.'"

Affleck acknowledged Willis had misjudged the project, although he pointed out the actor had not actually read its screenplay.

The Argo director also used the podcast appearance to criticize Hollywood's growing obsession with box-office performance.

Discussing the hostile reaction to Tom Cruise's ambitious new movie Digger, Affleck warned that celebrating expensive commercial disappointments could discourage studios from financing unconventional films.

He said: "It's a little bit like the high-school bullying thing, with people who hadn't even seen movies. You see it happening now, frankly, with Digger..."

Affleck argued filmmakers needed opportunities to experiment without facing relentless public criticism whenever projects failed financially.

He said: "Everybody wants to count the money, what it lost or whatever. To me, I just think, if you punish movies that take risks, guess what you're going to get? A bunch of s----- homogenized movies."

"You cannot do something interesting without taking a big swing. And that means you're going to sometimes look bad," Affleck noted.

Affleck has enjoyed a Hollywood career spanning more than three decades, establishing himself as an Oscar-winning actor, director, screenwriter, and producer.

Born in Berkeley, California, in 1972, Affleck grew up in Massachusetts and began acting as a child before achieving international recognition alongside childhood friend Damon.

Affleck subsequently starred in blockbusters including Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, The Sum of All Fears and Gone Girl, and also portrayed Batman in the DC superhero franchise.

His directorial achievements include Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Argo, which won Best Picture at the 2013 Academy Awards.

Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner in 2005, and they share three children. Following their divorce, he rekindled his romance with Jennifer Lopez, whom he married in 2022 before their divorce.