“And the bare fact of the very fleeting nature of all of our lives kind of stares you back in the face. And you realise, yeah, we only get so much time.”
Ben Affleck says he is determined to make the most of life after losing both parents. Photo / Getty Images
The Good Will Hunting star has a different perspective on grief, life and appreciating those around him after the deaths of former public school teacher Chris and aspiring playwright Timothy, who divorced in 1984.
Ben said: “Often the end of life isn’t full of wisdom and resolve. Stuff you haven’t fixed in life stays unfixed.
“And in the case of my mom, she was pretty extraordinary and brave. I mean, she’s an amazing woman, and her death really did cause me to even more deeply and fully appreciate her and her life.
“But yeah, you face that stuff and it makes you think, ‘Okay, how do I want to spend the rest of this time?’ Because you realise there’s not all that much of it.”
The Rip entertainer also said he “had a complicated relationship” with Timothy, noting it was “not a very close one for the last few years of his life”.
Ben understands that while losing a parent is heartbreaking, it is ultimately a part of life.
The Animals director-and-cast member said: “It is horrible, but it’s not tragic. You think it’d be really sad and not a tragedy. That was an interesting thing. This is normal. I certainly don’t want to outlive my children. That would be the worst thing I could imagine.
“So this is the way it’s supposed to go, but it’s still really sad for me.”