Above is Ben smoking a cigarette. He was sure to point out that smoking was bad to a group of kids who wanted his autograph.
This is Ben and me. He was a really nice guy and he even signed the picture that I took with him.
| As the summer before my senior year began, I never would have imagined anything exciting would take place. I spent most of the summer babysitting every day and the day after I finished that job, I began band camp. One day, though, some friends and I heard that some people were coming to town (Beaufory, SC) to film a movie. This happened several times before bringing such celebrities as Barbra Streisand (The Prince of Tides), Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump) and Julia Roberts (Something to Talk About). We heard that the newest movie being filmed in Beaufort was called Forces of Nature (abbreviated FON on signs downtown). We heard that Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck were in the movie. Armageddon had just come out and the prospect of meeting the cute guy from the movie was enticing enough to draw us to a streetcorner near "the castle" where they were filming a wedding scene from the movie. When my friends and I first saw Ben, we, of course, gasped. This, according to a production assistant, is a big no-no. "How would you like it if you were walking along and someone gasped like that? It's freak you out." So, from them on we played it cool. Not as easy thing to do in tempertures over one hundred degrees, I assure you! Eventually, a crowd had gathered, waiting to meet any celebrities who might pass by. We met much of the cast that day, but Ben was the biggest treat. He was genuinely pleased that we even cared who he was. He signed autographs (that day and the several other times we ventured out to the set over the three weeks they were there) and made sure he had time to interact with all the fans out there. Often times, he'd be forced to go to the set, but he'd always come back out when he had a minute. And, even though he smoked, he put out his cigarette whenever little kids were around. He was truly a nice guy. To the right is Ben smoking. Below that is Ben taking time out ot pose with a fan (namely me). |
Above is Ben smoking a cigarette. He was sure to point out that smoking was bad to a group of kids who wanted his autograph.
This is Ben and me. He was a really nice guy and he even signed the picture that I took with him. |