Ben Affleck: The real alpha male on Triple Frontier was...
Stars of Netflix film Triple Frontier say it is about teamwork, sacrifice and duty
To say that the new Netflix film Triple Frontier, starring five hunky, square-jawed actors as former US Army Special Forces operatives, is testosterone-fuelled would be an understatement.
During a press conference for the action thriller at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre on Saturday, The New Paper asked its stars Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund which of them ended up being the alpha male.
The trio were in town alongside producer Chuck Roven to promote Triple Frontier, which premieres on Netflix on March 13. Remaining cast members Oscar Isaac and Pedro Pascal were not present.
The question elicited laughs from the media at the event, while Hunnam and Hedlund grinned and exchanged cheeky looks.
Affleck delicately deflected it, insisting with a chuckle that Roven was the true alpha of the lot.
Given that Affleck's 2017 superhero blockbuster Justice League was similarly male-dominated, which movie had the most testosterone-fuelled set?
The 46-year-old US actor said: "They were both really fun, I had a great time. Obviously Gal (Gadot) was on Justice League so that mitigated some of the pure testosterone."
Directed by Oscar nominee J.C. Chandor (Margin Call, All Is Lost, A Most Violent Year) and co-written by Chandor and Oscar winner Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), Triple Frontier revolves around five military heroes who reunite to plan a heist in a sparsely populated multi-border zone of South America.
Affleck continued: "I find that it kind of reflects not so much a male story, but one rooted in factual truth - which is that the vast majority of the Special Forces are in fact men.
"So it's natural to tell a story about men. There's no real emphasis on hierarchy or being tougher than other people. It helped me understand that true strength came in compassion, empathy, teamwork and camaraderie."
Another big lesson Affleck picked up on while filming Triple Frontier was the "vast delta" between a civilian's daily life and challenges and the "trials faced by those who spend their lives engaged in combat on orders of people over whom they have no control".
He added: "It's a profoundly humbling experience to be around these men and understand what the true nature of sacrifice, commitment and duty really was."
English actor Hunnam, 38, was thankful for the on-set military advisers' openness in helping them perform their best.
He said: "They rarely came to us to tell us about our acting or how to play a scene. But there was a moment in the movie when I sustained an injury, and in true Hollywood fashion, I overacted.
"The military adviser came over and shared his experiences where he sustained massive injuries. He said this is just the reality, you have to hold it together. It was amazing to get that sort of insight and make sure we were handling this situation correctly."
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