Ben Affleck was escorted to and from the set of ‘The Way Back’ by a "sober liaison".
The 47-year-old actor portrays recovering alcoholic Jack Cunningham in the upcoming sports drama and his co-star, Will Ropp, has revealed the ‘Gone Girl’ star would be accompanied back and forth from rehab during "the beginning" of shooting the movie as he battled his own addiction.
Will said: "Everybody was very transparent from the beginning that he was in rehab at the beginning of the film.
"He had to have a sober liaison that would bring him to set and that would bring him back from [the] set."
As well being able to "connect" with his character’s battle with alcoholism, Ben – who has been to rehab several times to work on his sobriety – could also draw on his own experience with "family strife", having going through a very public divorce from ex-wife Jennifer Garner, which was finalised in 2018, three years after their split.
The ‘Justice League’ actor – who has children Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Sam, seven, with ’13 Going on 30′ star Jennifer – told PEOPLE: "There are some things about this character I really could connect to — being a recovering alcoholic, going through family strife, a divorce.
"You try to bring your own life experience to the parts that you can use your imagination on the other parts."
The Academy Award-winner added that he found the movie "cathartic" and he hopes the film will "move and inspire" people, though he accepts that not everyone will identify with the story.
He added: "The potential for a movie like this is to really inspire somebody, to move somebody.
"Sometimes you do movies, you go, ‘Okay, it’s a thriller.
"They’re thrilled. And then they go home and they’ve forgotten about it.’
"My goal with this was to make something that would feel enduring and lasting.
"Not everybody is going to come in and think it’s great."
Ben Affleck had ‘sober liaison’ escort him to and from set of The Way Back
