In a new Q&A with the Los Angeles Times, the Oscar winner called the experience of shooting the movie the "worst" of his life due to a number of reasons.
"It was really Justice League that was the nadir for me," The Tender Bar star shared. "That was a bad experience because of a confluence of things: my own life, my divorce, being away too much, the competing agendas, and then Zack’s personal tragedy, and the reshooting."
Ben continued, "It just was the worst experience. It was awful. It was everything that I didn’t like about this. That became the moment where I said, 'I’m not doing this anymore.' It’s not even about, like, Justice League was so bad. Because it could have been anything."
In fact, the actor's negative time on and off set led him to drop out of directing and starring in the standalone film The Batman shortly thereafter. "Performing this role demands focus, passion and the very best performance I can give," he said at the time. "It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require."
Reflecting on his decision, Ben explained, "I looked at [directing The Batman] and thought, 'I’m not going to be happy doing this. The person who does this should love it.' You’re supposed to always want these things, and I probably would have loved doing it at 32 or something."
Although Ben alluded to a less-than-stellar production environment, he did not comment on the allegations of set abuse facing Joss. While the veteran filmmaker has long been plagued by controversy, it was Justice League costar Ray Fisher (Victor Stone, aka Cyborg) who rang the alarm.
Of course, DCEU fans were vindicated with the release of the four-hour Snyder Cut they campaigned for, which marked Zack's return to the movie and the fulfillment of his creative vision.
To read Ben's full interview with the LA Times, click here.
