Ben Affleck says his ‘unhappy-looking resting face’ is to blame for meme-worthy facial expressions

Ben Affleck has jokingly addressed his seemingly miserable facial expressions, with the actor alleging that he just has a “very unhappy-looking resting face”.

The Gone Girl star, 50, whose expressions have inspired memes on multiple occasions, shared the real reason that he always looks so unhappy during events during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday.

According to Affleck, who went viral in February after he was captured looking uninterested during the 2023 Grammy Awards, it is a “common misconception” that he isn’t enjoying himself.

Affleck clarified his facial expressions after Kimmel reflected on some “awkwardness” during the actor and Jennifer Lopez’s holiday party in December 2022, with the late-night host telling the star: “It did seem like you weren’t quite as psyched about the party as everybody else was.”

The allegation prompted laughter from Affleck, who replied: “See, that’s a common misconception about me.”

The actor then claimed that he has a “very unhappy-looking resting face,” before demonstrating his “content” face and his nearly identical “amused” face.

“That’s how God made me,” Affleck jokingly continued. “You don’t have to punish me for it.”

This is not the first time that Affleck has clarified that he is not actually as miserable as he looks during events, as he told The Hollywood Reporter that he had a “good time at the Grammys”.

“I had a good time at the Grammys. My wife was going, and I thought: ‘Well, there’ll be good music. It might be fun.’ At movie award shows, it’s speeches and, like, sound-mixing webinars. But I thought this would be fun,” he said.

Affleck also revealed what was actually said during what appeared to be a tense moment between him and his wife at the awards show, with the actor telling the outlet that the couple’s conversation had had to do with host Trevor Noah.

“I was like: ‘Oh, God.’ They were framing us in this shot, but I didn’t know they were rolling,” he recalled about the moment Noah sat next to the couple. “I leaned into her and I was like: ‘As soon as they start rolling, I’m going to slide away from you and leave you sitting next to Trevor.’ She goes: ‘You better f***ing not leave.’ That’s a husband-and-wife thing.”

Although Affleck insisted that his facial expressions aren’t indicative of his happiness, he also revealed that there have been moments where he’s gone to events and “been pissed off” or “bored”.