Ben Affleck says no to office as Animals cast urges run

Ben Affleck is not running for office. His Animals co-stars think he should. He disagrees.

The exchange happened on the red carpet at the film's premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, where Variety reported that Affleck's castmates tried to talk him into a political career.

Kerry Washington, who plays his wife in the thriller, said the cast keeps telling Affleck he should stand for elected office, but he does not want to. Luis Gerardo Méndez, who plays an undocumented Mexican immigrant in the film, said he would definitely vote for him. Affleck took the lobbying with humour. "Maybe they hate me," he joked.

He left no room for doubt about his plans. He said he is not announcing a candidacy of any kind. He would rather make films about politics than hold office, describing elected work as a difficult grind of a job.

In Animals, which Affleck directed and co-wrote, he plays a Brentwood businessman running for mayor of Los Angeles. The campaign puts pressure on his marriage and on the people drawn into his orbit. Washington stars opposite him as his wife, with the marriage under strain as the race tightens. Méndez co-stars as the Mexican immigrant whose story collides with theirs.

The set-up gave the cast plenty of material for election jokes. Affleck recalled pretending to run for mayor while shooting the film, in an interview published by Yahoo Entertainment in September. On premiere night, Washington picked up the theme again and said the push for Affleck to run has become a running line among the group.

The film reaches audiences very soon. It will play in select theatres and on Netflix from Oct. 9, according to Variety. That pattern means a limited cinema run for big-screen viewers alongside a streaming release for subscribers at home.

For fans, this means the politics stay on screen. Affleck is selling a thriller about a mayoral race, not testing one.