Nearly a decade after The Accountant (2016), Ben Affleck has premiered The Accountant 2 at SXSW during the weekend amid swirling rumors of rekindled Jennifer Garner romance. He walked the red carpet with his co-star Jon Bernthal, 48, and his BFF Matt Damon.
The Argo Director, 52, wore a cream cardigan over a white shirt and brown tie. He perfectly paired his grandfatherly look with grey pants as he goofed off on the red carpet with Jon and Matt.
The Bourne Identity star, 54, arrived to the screening separately from his pal from Boston, pulling up in a black SUV. Ben and Jon arrived in a Ford pick-up truck with an Airstream attached to the back.
Affleck and Bernthal hit the perfect comedic chemistry as estranged brothers who still know how to push each other’s buttons, somewhat of a missed opportunity in the original which barely had the pair sharing the screen until a wholly dramatic conclusion.
Aside from the familiar faces from the first film, Daniella Pineda plays another deadly assassin with another form of acquired savant syndrome, which Affleck’s Christian also has, explaining his knack for forensic accounting.
Even though her character’s heartbreaking story never quite feels complete, Pineda brings a chilling intensity to the role, as well as some butt-kicking moves to share up the male-driven action of the franchise.
Ben talked about why he and Matt are such a good team on the red carpet. Damon and Affleck co-produced the film via their production company Artists Equity. “It’s a beautiful thing. You know, I don’t have very many- none of us really have many friends,” he said on the red carpet.
“You don’t need a million friends. You need a few good ones. And I’m really lucky to have had a friend in Matt,” Affleck said adding, “I’m lucky to have friends like that in my life.”
Affleck’s appearance at SXSW comes a week after he was seen giving his first ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, a tender embrace. The parents of Violet, 19, Fin, 16, and Samual 13 were at a paintball outing with their son and his friends.
Ben appeared very happy as he chatted with Garner and he reportedly would be open to rekindling things with her if the timing was right. Affleck and Garner tied the knot in 2005 and divorced in 2018.
