Ben Affleck on Batman backlash: ‘I’m a big boy’

Ben Affleck learned the hard way that it’s never a good idea to read Internet comments.

The actor, who set off a furious fanboy backlash when he was cast as Batman in the upcoming “Man of Steel� sequel last month, responded to his haters during a visit Monday to “Late Night.�

Affleck told host Jimmy Fallon that even he was skeptical when he was first approached about the role. “They called me up and said, ‘Do you want to do this?’ And I thought, ‘Well, I’m not 25, man. Are you sure about this?’ �

But the actor and filmmaker said he was won over by the “brilliant� vision of director Zack Snyder.

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Once Affleck, 41, accepted the role, executives at Warner Bros. shared with him the negative reactions that met other actors cast in high-profile roles as a way to warn him of the potentially “trying� times ahead.

Affleck, who’s certainly weathered his share of public criticism (“Gigli,� anyone?) was sure he could handle whatever came next. “I’m a big boy,� he said. “I’m very tough.�

His bravado soon faded, however. Despite an admonition from the suits at Warner Bros. to stay away from the Internet in the days following the casting announcement, Affleck couldn’t resist a peek. “I saw the announcement, I look down on the first comment. The first one just goes, ‘Nooooooooo!’ � he recalled.

That’s when he decided, perhaps wisely, to heed the studio’s advice. “We’re going to be Luddites for a while, kids,� he joked.

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