In a candid and deeply personal interview with veteran journalist Jorge Ramos, actor and director Ben Affleck opened up about his new Netflix film, Animals, revealing the profound challenges and surreal parallels he encountered during its production. Sitting down on Ramos’s digital show, Affleck made it clear that this project was never intended to be a detached creative exercise. Instead, the film became an exploration of identity, dignity, and the immigrant experience in the United States—themes that hit shockingly close to home when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations directly disrupted their filming schedule on the streets of Los Angeles.
Affleck shared with Ramos that the United States is fundamentally a country of immigrants, pointing out that his own family and background share in that immigrant narrative. The story at the heart of Animals—which focuses on two Mexican characters, Luis and Adriana—is, in Affleck’s view, the story of America itself. This conviction guided every decision he made as a director and co-producer, shaping how he navigated the inherent risks of tackling such a politically charged subject in the current American socio-political climate.
He Knew Making This Film Was a Risk and He Made It Anyway
Affleck was direct about the risks involved in making a film centered on the dignity and humanity of immigrant characters. In the current environment surrounding immigration policy and public discourse in the United States, choosing to place immigrant protagonists at the absolute center of a major motion picture is a deliberate statement. Affleck told Ramos that his primary desire was to portray immigrants not as background figures or supporting elements in someone else’s narrative, but as fully realized human beings navigating their own journeys with agency and self-respect.
The director also addressed long-standing perceptions within the film industry regarding English-language audiences and their resistance to subtitles. There is a prevalent, cautious assumption in Hollywood that non-Spanish-speaking viewers prefer stories told exclusively in English and might disengage from productions that require reading subtitles. Affleck actively pushed back against that commercial calculation, arguing that the social relevance of the story and the absolute necessity of representing the immigrant experience with honesty and dignity far outweighed any box-office or streaming metrics related to language preferences.
To ensure authenticity, Affleck took the unusual and commendable step of handing over creative control of the dialogue to his Mexican lead actors. Rather than imposing lines written from an outside perspective, he trusted Luis Gerardo Méndez and Adriana Paz to write their own dialogue, allowing them to craft conversations that felt genuinely true to their lived experiences and cultural backgrounds.
ICE Was Operating on His Filming Locations and the Script Was Playing Out in Real Life
The interview with Jorge Ramos unfolded against a backdrop of ongoing national debate concerning U.S. immigration policy and the very real human impact of ICE operations on communities across the country. Affleck’s film enters this conversation at a precise historical moment where the line separating dramatic fiction from real-world events has narrowed dramatically.
During the production of Animals in Los Angeles, the crew faced extraordinary moments when filming had to be temporarily suspended because active ICE operations were taking place in the immediate neighborhoods where they were working. Affleck described the surreal experience of watching the exact situations written into his script play out in real life right outside the camera’s lens. Rather than viewing these interruptions as mere production hurdles or logistical inconveniences, he noted that witnessing this collision between fiction and reality sharpened his understanding of what he was creating and why the project was so urgently necessary.
This real-world intersection gave the production a profound sense of gravity and emotional weight that no amount of traditional pre-production research could have manufactured. It heightened Affleck’s awareness of the immense responsibility he carried to get the portrayal of these immigrant characters right, reinforcing his decision to collaborate closely with his cast to ensure their voices were authentic and uncompromised.
He Said This Is a Country of Immigrants and His Family Proves It
Affleck’s personal connection to the subject of immigration is not a superficial marketing angle; it is foundational to why he chose to direct and produce Animals at this specific juncture in his career. He told Ramos candidly that his people and his family are immigrants, and that the struggles and aspirations of the characters in the film reflect the broader history of the United States. He emphasized that the national identity has always been shaped by those who arrived from other shores to build their lives, work, and futures within its borders.
This personal framing is matched by a distinct professional ambition. Animals features a powerhouse ensemble cast, starring Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, and Ray Fisher alongside its Mexican leads. The project was produced in association with Artists Equity, the artist-led studio Affleck co-founded with longtime collaborator Matt Damon. Affleck approached the film fully aware that it would enter a fiercely charged and deeply personal conversation for millions of viewers across the country.
Animals is currently available for streaming worldwide on Netflix, inviting audiences to engage with a story that bridges the gap between cinematic storytelling and contemporary American reality.
