Steven Spielberg Vowed Not to Work with Ben Affleck After an Alleged Pool Incident, Claims Director Mike Binder

Steven Spielberg declined to work with Ben Affleck on a project because of an alleged incident involving one of Spielberg’s sons, according to filmmaker Mike Binder.

Binder, 67, made the claim on a November episode of Stephen Baldwin’s podcast One Bad Movie. During the discussion, he said Spielberg, 79, once told him that Affleck, 53, had an uncomfortable run-in with Spielberg’s family during a late-1990s vacation — around the period when Affleck was dating Gwyneth Paltrow. Spielberg is also Paltrow’s godfather, Binder noted.

Representatives for Affleck and Spielberg did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Binder said he and Spielberg collaborated on early drafts of what eventually became Binder’s 2006 film Man About Town. Spielberg, according to Binder, chose not to direct the movie but offered to produce it — until Affleck was cast as the lead.

Binder claimed Spielberg reacted strongly when he shared the casting decision. “Steven says, ‘No. Can’t do it with [Affleck]. We just bombed with a movie with him, he’s got that whole J. Lo thing going on now, and I have other problems with him,’” Binder said, referring to Affleck’s past relationship with Jennifer Lopez. (Affleck and Lopez’s first engagement ended in 2004, while Man About Town was in development.)

“I love both these guys, and they’re both smarter than me, but they both kind of acted like idiots and so did I,” Binder added.

According to Binder, Spielberg then described the alleged vacation moment behind his reluctance. Binder claimed Spielberg told him that Affleck had joined Paltrow and Spielberg’s family on a trip where, after one of Spielberg’s sons pushed Affleck into a pool while he was fully dressed, Affleck responded by picking up the child and throwing him into the water.

“‘Ben came in fully dressed and my son pushed Ben into the pool, and Ben got really mad at him, and he came out of the pool and he picked him up and threw him back into the pool and made my son cry,’” Binder said Spielberg told him. Binder added that Spielberg is a father of seven, including sons Max, Theo and Sawyer.

Binder said he questioned what the story had to do with the movie, but claimed Spielberg remained firm: “I just don’t like to work with him. Plus his last two movies bombed. Find somebody else. Anyone but him.”

“He’s cold as hell,” Binder said. He recalled calling Affleck’s agent to say the casting wasn’t going to happen, and then receiving a call from Affleck directly. According to Binder, Affleck asked him, “Did Steven Spielberg tell you I threw his kid in the water? Is that what happened, is that why I’m not on your movie?”

Binder said he pushed back, insisting Affleck should stay attached — but claimed that, the next day, he learned DreamWorks had dropped the project, leaving him to make Man About Town elsewhere. The film was released in 2006 to poor reviews, and Binder said on the podcast that he made “a s— movie.”

Binder also said the episode came back to mind years later, when Affleck’s Argo beat Spielberg’s Lincoln for Best Picture at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013.

Binder claimed he texted Affleck during the ceremony: “Ben, tonight you could throw Spielberg’s whole family in the pool and get away with it.” He said Affleck later called him and told him the message made him laugh.

Binder added that he later repeated the joke to Spielberg as well, describing the entire experience as a reminder that even the most celebrated Hollywood figures can be both generous and difficult at different moments.