Surviving Christmas

Affleck plays advertising executive Drew Latham in the comedy directed by Mike Mitchell. Latham pays a family to let him stay in his childhood home with them for Christmas, causing friction but eventually reuniting them. Co-starring James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate and Catherine O’Hara.

To me, meeting James Gandolfini and getting to know him at such an interesting and important period in both our lives, and the degree to which we bonded and became friends, is something I wouldn’t trade for anything. He was a lovely man, and so tough on himself. Most of the good things in my life have come out of movies that didn’t work very well. That made that movie a great experience, despite what people said about it.