Come here, baby bro! Ben Affleck had the cutest reaction when his younger brother, Casey Affleck, took home the best actor win for his work on Manchester by the Sea at the 2017 Oscars on Sunday, February 26. Watch the video above.
Ben, 44, jumped from his seat to hug Casey, 41, when his name was announced and kissed him on the cheek. “It was very moving. Obviously, my brother, to have him there, it was a nice moment,” Casey told reporters in the press room at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater. “He didn’t actually say anything. He just hugged me. A lot of people have been giving me some grief for not thanking him in the past, but in a friendly way.”
The elder Affleck went on to cry as he watched his sibling take the stage. “I saw those tears and I thought maybe I’m just not making a good speech and he was really disappointed. But I think he was probably touched, and I think that we are — I mean, not to brag or anything, but I think we’re the only two brothers to win Academy Awards, ever,” Casey added.
Ben already has two Oscars under his belt. He won for best original screenplay for Good Will Hunting in 1998 and best picture for Argo in 2013. (He directed, starred in and produced the drama.)
“I’ve learned a lot from him because he’s been through a lot in this business and ups and downs and been under-appreciated and then it’s been proven how great he is,” Casey continued backstage. “It’s been an advantage to be able to watch someone you love and you know so well go try to navigate the very tricky, rocky, sometimes hateful waters of being famous.”
Casey gave a shout-out to Ben during his speech, but forgot to thank two important people — his sons, Indiana, 12, and Atticus, 8, whom he shares with estranged wife, Summer Phoenix. “I didn’t thank my children, which is something that I’ll probably never ever live down,” he told reporters. “About three seconds after I made it backstage, my phone rang and my son said, ‘You didn’t even mention us.’ And my heart just sank. So, you know, that probably would have been the most meaningful thing I could have said and I failed.”
