Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Ben Affleck recalls ‘dissociative panic attack’ after smoking cannabis at 15 years old

 ‘I had to sort of Bill Clinton it,’ claims the actor, recounting his time on the set of Dazed and Confused

Louis Chilton
Thursday 26 November 2020 08:55 GMT
Comments
Dazed and Confused- trailer
Leer en Español

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Ben Affleck has recalled suffering a “dissociative panic attack” after smoking cannabis when he was 15 years old.

The Justice League actor told the story in an interview for the new book Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused.

According toVanity Fair, Affleck said: “I had a dissociative panic attack. So I only smoked weed if everyone else was smoking and I had to sort of Bill Clinton it and fake it. I didn’t really like marijuana.”

Affleck, who is now in recovery for an alcohol abuse problem, added: “I also wasn’t a very heavy drinker then... that was a whole different time.”

Affleck starred in Dazed and Confused, a 1993 coming-of-age comedy, alongside Matthew McConaughey, Milla Jovovich, Cole Hauser, Parker Posey and Adam Goldberg.

In the new book, he reveals that he declined to drink alcohol or take drugs with his co-workers during production on the film. 

“I was a little nervous, like, ‘should we be drinking before we’re working tomorrow?’ Some people were actually drinking and stoned at work,” he said.

Dazed and Confused told the story of a group of high school students in Austin, Texas in the mid-Seventies.

Linklater would later release a spiritual sequel to the film in 2016, titled Everybody Wants Some!!

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in