Kevin Hart Is Brave Enough to Ask Ben Affleck About His “Resting B— Face,” and Affleck Actually Has an Understandable Explanation for It

He’d also prefer we call it something other than RBF, thank you very much—and Affleck’s got a suggestion at the ready.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ben Affleck is aware that he looks furious in paparazzi photos—but there’s, according to him, a good reason. “I’m also a little bit shy,” Affleck told Kevin Hart on the season four premiere of his talk show, Hart to Heart, per Entertainment Weekly. “I also don’t like a lot of attention. That’s why people see me and they’re like ‘Why’s this dude always mad?’ Because somebody has their camera and sticks it in my face and I’m like, ‘Okay, here we go.’”

Ben Affleck

Affleck and the paparazzi have often been at odds. But never Dunkin' (don't miss what he's holding in his right hand).

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Affleck “has spawned dozens of sad, confused, and angry memes with his expressive face over the years,” Entertainment Weekly reports. And, the outlet adds, the frustration around having his photograph taken “is taken to another level when Affleck is photographed with his children present” (Affleck shares three kids, Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, and two stepkids, Max and Emme, with wife Jennifer Lopez).

“Actually, what I’d like to do is much more definitive than just look at you like this,” Affleck said. “I don’t mind, you can take my picture as a club or a premiere, with my wife, I don’t give a fuck. Knock yourself out. I don’t notice you. But with my children, that’s a different thing.”

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck

Even in happier times, Affleck often...doesn't look happy.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez at the Golden Globes

But that doesn't mean he's not happy, people!

(Image credit: Getty Images)

And, Affleck admitted, even if he wasn’t a famous actor on his own or one-half of one of the most famous couples in the world, his often-angry expression is just kind of how his face looks sometimes, he said. “By the way, I also might be somebody who I do find myself—I’ll be sitting at home, and they’re like, ‘What’s wrong?’” he said. “‘Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.’ I’m like, ‘Nothing. I’m listening to this thing.’ I start thinking, is something wrong?”

Whether at home or being photographed by paparazzi, Affleck said his face doesn’t always match how he’s feeling at the time: “People are projecting something onto me that I don’t feel about myself at all,” he said.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck on a red carpet

A hint of a smile sometimes happens when the cameras flash.

(Image credit: Getty)

After Hart suggested that Affleck may have what is colloquially known as “resting bitch face,” Affleck shot that down quickly: “Bitch?!” he said with mock outrage. “Now, now. I have resting hard face.”

Well, folks, there you have it. It’s RHF now.

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Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.