The Accountant’s Ben Affleck and Gavin O’Connor Talk a Trilogy, Line Dancing, and More

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Over the years, Ben Affleck has been a leading actor in several well-known films that have spawned sequels or spin-offs. One such sequel, “The Accountant 2”, is set to hit theaters later this month, almost a decade after the initial release of “The Accountant”. Some fans might have been disheartened by the long wait for a follow-up, but the gap between installments indicates the strong commitment from both Affleck and director Gavin O’Connor towards the storyline. They prioritized the series, ensuring it didn’t fade away even as time passed. “The Accountant 2” will be in theaters on April 25th.

The character Christian Wolff, portrayed by Ben Affleck, excels in resolving intricate issues. After an old associate is mysteriously killed and bequeaths a puzzling note saying “find the accountant,” Wolff finds himself drawn into the mystery. As things escalate, he enlists the aid of his distant brother Brax (Jon Bernthal), who is both estranged and extremely dangerous. Together with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), they begin to uncover a lethal conspiracy that places them in the crosshairs of a relentless cabal of assassins, determined to protect their hidden secrets at any cost.

In an interview with ComicBook, Affleck playfully admitted that one of the most difficult obstacles he encountered during the project was choreographing a scene where his character took part in line dancing.

Affleck playfully admitted that mastering line dancing posed the biggest hurdles for him while filming the sequel. He confessed, “I needed quite a bit of practice to get it right… It took weeks. But I had some amazing individuals who were incredibly patient and kept encouraging me, ‘No, that’s not it yet, but you’re getting there.’ And it was an enjoyable process.” The other actors in the scene were very supportive and never made him feel self-conscious about his progress.

He went on to say, “Action scenes always pose their own set of difficulties. It’s crucial to work with someone like Gavin who can provide an answer for every question. It’s not just about aiming the gun in a certain direction because it looks good; that can be challenging for an actor. Instead, I want to have a reason behind my actions. Gavin truly grasps this concept. He focuses on the character’s intentions and why they’re performing the action, which also makes it appear compelling. Moreover, the character became increasingly familiar and comfortable for me during this project – a valuable asset indeed.

Although the sequel returns to a familiar universe, O’Connor opted against playing it conservatively by mirroring the original release. Instead, he aimed to explore uncharted territories in the gameplay experience.

The filmmaker shared that they aimed to transform many aspects for the second movie. Compared to the first one, there were only a few details initially. However, some essential elements from the original, such as his eating habits, certain behaviors, and the Airstream, were carefully carried over to the sequel. But the key focus was on taking different routes, both in the writing of the script and during filming itself.

After the recent get-together of Affleck and O’Connor, it’s natural that thoughts began brewing about a potential third installment in the series, which ardent fans may not need to endure another decade’s wait for.

O’Connor highlighted that the challenge lies in creating the third puzzle plot, as it’s not straightforward. However, they are discussing the possibility of doing a third one, specifically one that could be produced with Amazon.

As a film enthusiast myself, I can say that crafting this movie was quite the challenge. It needed to be complex enough to require a masterful touch, yet not so convoluted that viewers would become bewildered. Bill Dubuque and Gavin did an exceptional job in building something truly captivating for us. The amount of time and effort they invested into it was evident, working tirelessly until the final product felt perfectly balanced – a moment when everything just clicked for me.

Regarding whether playing his character in The Accountant sparked Affleck’s desire to reprise other roles from his filmography, the actor openly shared: “Many films don’t prompt thoughts about potential sequels. But this one feels different – the characters are intriguing, and the plot is open-ended enough that it could continue to unfold in an engaging way. So, it seems logical to me. There are several characters I’ve enjoyed portraying, but I can’t quite imagine a follow-up for Shakespeare in Love. I identify with Ned Allen and would like to revisit him, but this role is one I’ve always felt could have continued – frankly, it’s just fun playing it.

As a dedicated cinema enthusiast, I couldn’t help but notice the inclusion of certain superheroes from past 20th Century Fox adaptations in the recent crossover between Deadpool and Wolverine. However, it was disappointing to see Ben Affleck’s Daredevil character missing from the scene. In response, Affleck himself acknowledged this absence by saying, “It seems like another Matt Murdock is around now. Is his series out yet? I’m referring to Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal’s portrayals of the Punisher. It’s wonderful to see so many talented actors taking on these roles, but at the moment, I’m really immersed in what I’m doing.

The Accountant 2 lands in theaters on April 25th.

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2025-04-14 19:44