“Bruce Willis once turned to me and was like, ‘Your voice is too high.’” — Ben Affleck

Affleck told the story on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, in an episode released on October 12, 2026. Recalling his Armageddon costar’s guidance, Affleck, 54, said Willis wanted him to do something about his naturally high voice.

When Affleck pushed back, Willis kept at it. “I was like, ‘What?’ He was like, ‘Don’t have that high voice.’ I was like, ‘Bruce, that’s just my voice. Can I change that?’” Willis’s response, as Affleck remembered it: “You don’t wanna sound like that, man! I’m helping you out!”

The voice note was not the only career tip Willis handed down on that set. Affleck said Willis also tried to steer him away from Shakespeare in Love while they were making Armageddon. “He was like, ‘Man, don’t go do that Shakespeare movie, man. You don’t wanna do that movie,’” Affleck said.

Affleck accepted the role of actor Ned Alleyn in the 1998 romantic comedy, joining Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Judi Dench, Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth. The film won 7 Oscars in 1999, including Best Picture. Willis “was wrong about that one,” Affleck said, adding, “But he hadn’t read the script, in all fairness.”

What has stayed with Affleck is not the accuracy of the advice but the spirit behind it. He described Willis as “the sweetest guy in the world” and took both suggestions as genuine attempts to help. “I love Bruce, and he really was giving me a tip,” he said.