Ben Affleck Stopped Caring About His Public Image Until His Children Saw Him On The Internet

Ben Affleck got candid about how he felt about the public's perception of him now that his kids are old enough to access the internet.

The two-time Academy Award winner admitted that there was a time when his public image didn't bother him. However, now that his three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner —Violet 16, Seraphina, 13, and Samuel, 9— are old enough to see it online, he started caring about it.

"I got to a place where [the public perception] was so different from who I am that I just stopped reading and stopped caring," Affleck told Los Angeles Times. "But then, as my kids got older and started seeing the internet themselves, that's the difficult part."

He added, "Even the 'Sad Affleck' meme — that was funny to me. I mean, there's nobody who hasn't felt that way at a junket. But then my kids see it and I think, 'Oh, are they going to think their dad is fundamentally sad or they have to worry about me?' That's really tough."

The "Tender Bar" star spoke about his viral meme with girlfriend Jennifer Lopez in December when they were photographed sitting courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game. The meme comprised a series of snaps. In the first picture, the couple was happily talking, and in the second shot, Affleck whispered something to Lopez's ear. In the third picture, the "On the Floor" singer looked very serious as Affleck smirked next to her.

"I am a big sports guy, I'm not a big meme guy, I don't follow the memes. My kids like the memes. My kids think the highest form of success in life is to become a meme, so in that sense, they have to be proud of me despite outward appearances," Affleck told Entertainment Tonight about his kids' reaction to the viral meme with his girlfriend.

When asked for his response to the online memes, the "Justice League" star made it clear that he had no plans to react to them.

"If I got in the business of commenting on all the memes on the internet, it would force me to be witty, and I just can’t. I just don’t have that to bring, so I'm just gonna let it speak for itself," Affleck explained.

In a previous interview with People, Affleck also spoke about how having children changed his life. According to the "Batman" star, they were his priority and he would always find a way to be with them.

"My life has really changed a lot. Once I had kids, it became very obvious to me that the priority was time with them," Affleck said. "George [Clooney] was spectacular in that way. He's a dad too and would let me out on the weekends or cut me early. He really understood and appreciated how important it was for me to see my kids."