Ben Affleck says Adam Driver 'made me a hero to my kid' after sweet birthday surprise
Ben Affleck owes fellow actor Adam Driver big time after saving his 8-year-old son Samuel's birthday.
During Tuesday's episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Affleck recounted the ordeal, explaining that Samuel is a huge Kylo Ren fan, the character Driver plays in the "Star Wars" franchise.
After rushing back to Los Angeles from work in London for the birthday party, Affleck found out from someone he works with that the presents he ordered for his son didn't arrive yet.
"So it meant I had to show up to my son's party with no gift for him. And there was this sort of sinking, awful feeling," he said. "And then he goes, 'But, there is something! Adam heard it was your son's birthday. So he called your assistant and got your address and sent some presents, and signed a card and a picture from Kylo Ren.' ... So I took those presents and went to see my son."
Affleck said Driver had also previously agreed to record a birthday message for the super fan.
"I watched him open all the other presents, and then I said, 'Sam, my presents didn't get here on time. But I did get a present from somebody who really wanted to make sure you got a gift,' and he was like, 'Who?' And I said, 'Kylo Ren,' " Affleck shared.
He continued, "He opened the presents, I played him the video of Kylo Ren, and it was an incredibly moving and powerful moment. Adam made me a hero to my kid, and I will never, ever, ever forget that."
Affleck couldn't praise Driver enough, adding that his gesture "meant the (expletive) world to me."
Affleck said being there for his son's birthday was especially important to him as a "divorced dad," who only gets "half the time" with his son.
Affleck shares Samuel with ex-wife Jennifer Garner. The pair were married from 2005 to 2018. They also share daughter Violet, 14 and Seraphina, 11.
Affleck recently spoke to USA TODAY while promoting his new movie “The Way Back," where he plays a former high school basketball star who returns to his alma mater as the team's head coach.
“The greatest fiction of this movie is that at any time I was a great basketball star in high school,” Affleck joked. “I am not a great athlete; never been my thing. I mean, I can hit a little bit; I can play a little baseball, but I’ve always been interested in acting and that’s kind of what I’ve dedicated my time to.”
Contributing: Ralphie Aversa
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ben Affleck on how Adam Driver saved his son's birthday
