Ben Affleck once wondered whether his Daredevil moves would look more like a Matrix stunt or a total dork‑show, and Jennifer Garner’s hands literally swelled from the effort.
Key points
- Ben Affleck was genuinely nervous about his Daredevil fight scenes, fearing they might look unintentionally goofy.
- Jennifer Garner’s prior stunt experience helped her dominate the choreography, but the demanding shoot caused her hands to swell, requiring her rings to be removed.
- The 2003 playground fight is now viewed as a relic of early‑2000s superhero filmmaking, unlikely to be replicated in modern Marvel productions.
During a recent Variety segment titled “Does Ben Affleck Know His Lines?”, the actor was shown a line from his 2003 Daredevil film and recalled the fun – and the fear – of shooting the fight sequences with then‑wife Jennifer Garner.
Affleck admitted that while filming the iconic playground battle, he kept asking himself whether the choreography would end up looking slick like The Matrix or simply make him look like an idiot next to Garner’s seasoned stunt work.
Affleck’s on‑set anxiety
The scene, in which Matt Murdock and Elektra turn a children’s playground into a martial‑arts arena, features flips, kicks and flirtatious banter amid equipment that would be considered unsafe by today’s superhero standards.
Garner, fresh from her action‑heavy role on Alias, handled the choreography with confidence, but she later revealed that her hands swelled so much during the extended shoot that a crew member had to remove her rings to prevent injury.
The chaotic playground showdown
Both actors have since reflected on the film’s odd creative choices; Affleck has said he wishes he had consulted Marvel chief Kevin Feige more closely, while Garner returned to the Elektra role in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine and has spoken fondly of working with Affleck.
Rumors of the former couple reuniting on screen resurfaced when they were briefly attached to Affleck’s upcoming project Animals, though they ultimately decided against playing a married couple to avoid real‑life complications.
Reader questions
What did Ben Affleck say about his Daredevil fight scenes?
In the Variety clip, he said he wondered whether the action would look like The Matrix or make him look like an idiot next to Jennifer Garner.
Why did Jennifer Garner have to take off her rings on set?
Garner’s hands swelled during the lengthy shoot of the playground fight, prompting a crew member to cut off her rings to avoid further injury.
Have Affleck and Garner considered working together again?
They were briefly attached to Affleck’s film Animals but decided not to play a married couple, citing potential real‑life baggage.
Source: yahoo.com
