Ben Affleck's 'Fake' Tattoo Is Real, And It's Massive
Ben Affleck revealed a massive tattoo of a phoenix during a training session for a new film, despite the fact that he once said the ink was not real.
The Real Deal
Affleck exposed the permanent ink while training for upcoming film Triple Frontier in Hawaii on Thursday, March 15. He joined costars Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), and Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound) for some outdoor workout on the beach and his tattoo was clearly visible on his shirtless back.
Photos from the training session showed the Batman v Superman star running along the shore and emerging out of the water carrying lifeguard equipment and goggles. In one shot, the actor has his back to the camera while he wiped his face with a towel and the phoenix look very massive on his bare back. The colourful tattoo completely takes up Affleck's back from the shoulders down to his lower torso.
Aside from the back tattoo, Affleck also revealed a couple of shoulder tattoos. The Gone Girl star has a tattoo of a cross surrounded by flowers on both shoulders.
Origin
Speculations that the 45-year old got himself a massive tattoo on his back started in July 2015 when photographers snapped a portion of his tattoo on his lower back. Affleck got himself inked coincidentally when he confirmed his divorce from ex-wife Jennifer Garner. Fans got a full look at the phoenix tattoo in December of the same year when Affleck was on set of his self-directed film Live by Night.
An insider claimed that Affleck got the tattoo at the home he shared with Garner in Los Angeles in the midst of their separation. In March 2016 though, the Justice League actor said the ink was fake and was just for a movie.
"I actually do have a number of tattoos but I try to have them in places where you don't have to do a lot of cover up they get sort of addictive, tattoos, after awhile," Affleck told Extra's Mario Lopez.
However, Garner practically confirmed that Affleck's tattoo is real during a Vanity Fair interview in February 2016. The ink is said to symbolize rebirth.
"You know what we would say in my hometown about that? 'Bless his heart.' A phoenix rising from the ashes. Am I the ashes in this scenario? I take umbrage. I refuse to be the ashes," Garner told the publication.
