'' Armageddon '' , released in 1998 , established Affleck as a viable leading man for Hollywood studio films . '' Good Will Hunting '' had not yet been released during the casting process and , after Affleck 's screen test , director Michael Bay dismissed him as " a geek " . He was convinced by producer Jerry Bruckheimer that Affleck would be a star , but the actor was required to lose weight , become tanned , and get his teeth capped before filming began . The film , where he starred opposite Bruce Willis as a blue-collar driller tasked by NASA with stopping an asteroid from colliding with Earth , was a box office success . Daphne Merkin of '' The New Yorker '' remarked : " Affleck demonstrates a sexy Paul Newmanish charm and is clearly bound for stardom . " Later in 1998 , Affleck had a supporting role as an arrogant English actor in the period romantic comedy '' Shakespeare in Love '' , starring his then-girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow . Lael Loewenstein of '' Variety '' remarked that Affleck " does some of his very best work , suggesting that comedy may be his true calling , " while Janet Maslin of '' The New York Times '' found him " very funny " . '' Shakespeare in Love '' won seven Academy Awards , including Best Picture , while the cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast . Affleck then appeared as a small-town sheriff in the supernatural horror film '' Phantoms '' . Stephen Holden of '' The New York Times '' wondered why actors like Affleck and Peter O'Toole had agreed to appear in the " junky " film : " Affleck 's thudding performance suggests he is reading his dialogue for the first time , directly from cue cards . " Affleck and Damon had an on-screen reunion in Kevin Smith 's religious satire '' Dogma '' ( after having appeared in Smith 's previous films , '' Mallrats '' and '' Chasing Amy '' ) , which premiered at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival . Janet Maslin of '' The New York Times '' remarked that the pair , playing fallen angels , " bring great , understandable enthusiasm to Mr. Smith 's smart talk and wild imaginings " . Affleck starred opposite Sandra Bullock in the romantic comedy '' Forces of Nature '' ( 1999 ) , playing a groom whose attempts to get to his wedding are complicated by his free-spirited traveling companion . Owen Gleiberman of '' Entertainment Weekly '' remarked that Affleck " has the fast-break charm you want in a screwball hero , " while Joe Leydon of '' Variety '' praised " his winning ability to play against his good looks in a self-effacing comic turn " . Affleck then appeared opposite Courtney Love in the little-seen ensemble comedy '' 200 Cigarettes '' ( 1999 )
1999 Cannes Film Festival
1999 Cannes Film Festival
Ben Affleck