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Ben Affleck Gets Emotional Over Adam Driver Saving Son’s Birthday

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Ben Affleck couldn’t get through this story without his voice breaking.

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on March 3, 2020, Ben Affleck choked up recounting how his The Last Duel co-star Adam Driver quietly rescued his son Samuel’s 8th birthday party. Affleck had flown home from a European shoot to be there in person, only to discover the presents he’d ordered were nowhere in sight. What Driver did next turned a potential disaster into what Affleck called one of the most moving moments of his life as a father.

• Affleck flew 11 hours from the set of Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel back to Los Angeles on February 27 to surprise Samuel for his 8th birthday.
• The birthday presents Affleck had ordered and shipped never arrived, leaving him facing his son empty-handed.
• Adam Driver secretly called Affleck’s assistant, got his home address, and sent a full haul of Star Wars gifts — Kylo Ren figures, LEGO sets, signed photos, a card, and a personalized video greeting.

A Long Flight For One Party

Affleck told Kimmel he was deep into production on The Last Duel, Ridley Scott’s medieval drama shooting overseas with Driver and Matt Damon, when he decided he couldn’t miss his son’s birthday. He rearranged his schedule and made the 11-hour trip back to Los Angeles on February 27, cutting it close just to be home for Samuel’s surprise party. It’s the kind of scheduling gymnastics actors on location shoots rarely talk about publicly, but Affleck made clear it was non-negotiable for him.

The Presents Never Showed Up

The trip home was supposed to be the hard part. Instead, Affleck said his assistant hit him with the real crisis the moment he walked through the door: the gifts he’d ordered for Samuel hadn’t arrived. With the party already set in motion, Affleck was staring down the possibility of showing up to his own son’s birthday with nothing to give him.

Affleck also explained why this particular disaster mattered so much. Samuel, he said, fully understands that movie acting is pretend — except when it comes to Star Wars. To an 8-year-old, that galaxy is real, and the fact that his dad was working alongside Kylo Ren himself made Affleck something close to a celebrity in his own house.

Kylo Ren Steps In

Affleck had already asked Driver to film a simple birthday greeting for Samuel. But once Driver heard there was an actual party happening — and that the gifts were missing — he took it much further on his own. According to Affleck, Driver tracked down his assistant, got the family’s home address, and sent over a full package of Star Wars merchandise: Kylo Ren action figures, LEGO sets, signed photos, and a handwritten card, all without Affleck asking for any of it.

At the party, Affleck played Driver’s video for Samuel and handed over the gifts, telling his son they’d come straight from Kylo Ren. For an 8-year-old who treats the Star Wars universe as gospel, that was the entire party.

He opens the presents, I played him the video of Kylo Ren, and it was an incredibly moving and powerful moment. Adam made me a hero to my kid. And I will never, ever, ever forget it.

Affleck’s Emotional Moment On Kimmel

Affleck visibly teared up telling the story on Kimmel’s stage, struggling at points to get the words out. It wasn’t staged sentimentality — the actor was genuinely overwhelmed describing how a co-star’s small, uncredited effort turned into the defining memory of his son’s birthday. Anyone who’s followed Affleck’s career, including his years in the cape as Batman, knows he’s not usually the one getting choked up on late-night TV.

Affleck and Driver still had months left shooting The Last Duel together with Matt Damon when this aired, so there’s no shortage of on-set time for the story to keep growing between them. But as far as Samuel’s concerned, the record’s already set — Kylo Ren showed up for his 8th birthday, and nothing that happens on screen is going to top that.