In a recent, deeply personal conversation with veteran journalist Jorge Ramos, Hollywood actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck opened up about the intense real-world challenges he faced while directing his new Netflix thriller, Animals. Sitting down for an interview on Ramos’s new digital show, Así veo las cosas, Affleck discussed the profound creative and emotional impact of shooting a film centered on the immigrant experience at a time when U.S. immigration policy and enforcement dominate the national conversation.
The project, which is currently streaming on Netflix, was never intended to be a detached artistic exercise for Affleck. Instead, it evolved into a deeply reflective exploration of dignity, power, and identity, shaped in real-time by the social and political climate of the United States.
A Personal Connection to the Immigrant Narrative
Affleck made it clear to Ramos that his motivation for tackling this specific story stems from a fundamental conviction about the fabric of American society. He emphasized that the United States is, at its core, a country of immigrants. Pointing to his own background and family history, Affleck argued that the struggles, aspirations, and experiences of the film’s central Mexican characters—Luis and Adriana—are intrinsically tied to the broader narrative of the nation itself.
Rather than treating immigration as a distant political talking point or a superficial background detail, Affleck framed it as a central human truth. This perspective guided every major creative decision he made while directing and co-writing the film. He acknowledged from the outset that diving into a narrative focused heavily on the dignity and humanity of immigrant characters carried inherent risks in today’s polarized political environment. Yet, he chose to move forward deliberately, driven by the belief that the subject matter demanded urgent attention and honesty.
When Fiction Collides With Reality on the Streets of Los Angeles
The production of Animals faced extraordinary external pressures that blurred the lines between scripted drama and real-world friction. The film was shot on location in Los Angeles, a bustling metropolis where immigration enforcement is a frequent and highly charged reality. During production, the cast and crew encountered a stark and unsettling reminder of the very themes they were exploring on screen.
Affleck revealed to Ramos that there were days when production had to be completely suspended because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations were actively taking place in the immediate areas where the crew was working. Witnessing federal immigration agents operating on or near his filming locations transformed the production from a standard Hollywood shoot into a surreal, high-stakes experience.
Affleck described watching the exact scenarios written into his script play out in real life right outside the cameras’ view as an extraordinary and sobering phenomenon. This collision of fiction and reality provided a profound sense of urgency, sharpening his understanding of the story he was telling and reinforcing why a project highlighting the immigrant experience needed to exist in the current climate. It also deepened his commitment to portraying immigrant characters not as passive victims or minor supporting roles, but as complex, fully realized protagonists capable of driving their own narratives.
Empowering the Cast for Authenticity
To ensure the authenticity of the immigrant experience portrayed in Animals, Affleck took a collaborative approach to the script, particularly regarding the characters played by acclaimed Mexican actors Luis Gerardo Méndez and Adriana Paz. Recognizing the limits of his own perspective, Affleck handed over creative control to his lead actors, allowing them to write their own lines and shape their characters’ dialogue.
This decision was designed to ensure that the conversations on screen felt genuine, culturally resonant, and reflective of authentic human experiences rather than a Hollywood approximation of them. The film features a diverse, high-profile ensemble cast, including Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, and Ray Fisher, alongside its Mexican leads. The project was produced in association with Artists Equity, the production studio Affleck co-founded with longtime collaborator Matt Damon.
Pushing Back Against Industry Assumptions
During his discussion with Ramos, Affleck also addressed entrenched industry biases regarding non-English-language content and audience engagement. Hollywood has long operated under the assumption that English-speaking audiences harbor significant "subtitle resistance," often leading studios to shy away from stories driven by foreign languages or immigrant perspectives out of fear that viewers will disengage.
Affleck actively pushed back against this commercial calculation. By moving forward with a story centered on complex immigrant characters and subtitled exchanges, he staked his artistic integrity on the belief that audiences are ready for deeper, more challenging narratives. He argued that the social relevance of the story and the ethical imperative to represent the immigrant experience with honesty and dignity far outweighed any commercial hesitations regarding subtitles.
As Animals streams to global audiences on Netflix, the film stands as a testament to a unique moment in modern filmmaking—one where a major Hollywood production was directly touched by the political realities of the streets it filmed on, resulting in a project shaped as much by real-world events as by the creative vision behind the camera.
