Ben Affleck Says His Late Mom’s Letters Revealed A Life He Hadn’t Fully Seen

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Ben Affleck is opening up about losing both of his parents within months of each other and the unexpected discovery that changed how he sees his late mother. As the actor navigates his grief, letters written by Chris Anne Affleck have introduced him to the ambitious young woman she was before raising him and his brother, Casey. The deeply personal reflection has also led Affleck to reconsider the sacrifices behind his childhood and how his mother’s devotion connects to his own experience as a father.

Ben Affleck Reveals His Parents Died In April And June

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During Wednesday’s episode of Kerry Washington’s “Street You Grew Up On” podcast, Affleck spoke publicly for the first time about the recent deaths of his parents, Timothy and Chris Anne. “My parents just died, both of them. In April and June,” Affleck told his “Animals” co-star. “So I’ve been just like, you know, not just now or anything, but it’s just sort of a big thing.”

According to Page Six, Chris Anne died on June 2 at age 83 after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Casey confirmed Timothy’s death at age 76 earlier this month during a press conference at the Venice International Film Festival.

For Ben, losing both parents has prompted him to revisit familiar memories with a different understanding of the people who raised him.

Grief Changed How He Looks At His Childhood

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Affleck explained that the losses “caused me to start thinking about my own childhood in ways that have been a little bit different.” His reflections have brought a deeper appreciation for his mother, who taught public school children for 35 years before retiring in 2008.

“I’ve certainly learned to sort of even more deeply appreciate my mom and really value and see what she did and what the sacrifice and commitment that she made and how complete it was,” he said.

Her dedication was something he experienced throughout his upbringing. But after her death, reading her letters gave him a perspective that his childhood memories alone could not provide. They revealed her thoughts and ambitions from a time before he knew her as his mother.

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His Mother’s Letters Revealed Her Earlier Dreams

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Affleck said he read letters Chris Anne had written to her parents when she was younger. “First off, it’s this young woman, full of life and ambition and dreams,” he shared.

She wrote about wanting to become a teacher and traveling to Mississippi for protests. “It was really fascinating,” Affleck continued. “But of course, the thing that struck me was this has nothing to do with me. This woman had her own whole life for 30 years that had zero to do with me.”

Chris Anne Made Her Sons The Center Of Her Life

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Affleck said his mother “made me and my brother the absolute most important center of her life.” T

“She was, I mean, gorgeous and smart and thoughtful and passionate. I just thought this woman’s amazing and she could do anything,” he said. “She worked really hard, and she came home and did everything.”

Ben Affleck Admits He Took Her Efforts For Granted

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Affleck acknowledged that he “had taken for granted” how much Chris Anne did for her sons. As a parent himself, however, he also understood the desire to give children that sense of dependable care without making them conscious of every effort behind it.

“Probably in a way that she wants, in a way I want my children to take for granted,” he explained. “She did that so thoroughly and effectively over her whole life, that I didn’t even see her in a way as her own whole person apart from me. And it blew me away.”

Affleck shares three children with his former wife, Jennifer Garner: Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Sam, 14.

The Ben Affleck Says His Late Mom’s Letters Revealed A Life He Hadn’t Fully Seen first appeared on The Blast