Ben Affleck Refused To Wear A Yankees Hat (& Caused Drama On The Gone Girl Set)

Boston has a reputation for being one of America's oldest cities and for housing some of the most passionate sports fans in the country. With a legacy of winning franchises — including the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Bruins, the Boston Celtics, and the New England Patriots — it makes sense. Color us unsurprised that Forbes ranked Red Sox fans among the top 10 most passionate fans around!

But you might not know that the same fan base boasts A-listers in the mix. Notably, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's love for all things Boston sports has become a talking point in the media. The "Batman" actor once called former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady "the king of Boston," citing his time with the star player as "one of the most memorable days of my life," per "The Bill Simmons" podcast. Affleck and Damon have also been spotted cheering on their beloved Red Sox on several occasions. "What a team," Damon reflected on his Red Sox after they won the World Championship in 2018. "They won more games than any Red Sox team ever has. And that's saying something, since we've been around for over 100 years." Think "Fever Pitch" and Red Sox dish towels and New York Yankees toilet paper — that's the level of fandom we're dealing with here.

Normally, being a diehard fan is seen as a positive trait and a point of pride. But Affleck's passion for Boston and its sports teams once got him in trouble on a movie set.

In 2014, Ben Affleck starred in "Gone Girl" as Nick Dunne, a seemingly normal guy whose wife goes missing. The movie features a scene where Nick attempts to go incognito in an airport by sliding on a baseball hat. It sounds pretty basic, but the kind of baseball hat proved to be a point of contention between Affleck and "Gone Girl" director David Fincher. When Fincher asked Affleck to wear a New York Yankees hat — aka the Boston Red Sox's historic rival — because he believed "it would work best for the movie," Affleck fought back, per The New York Times. "I said, 'David, I love you, I would do anything for you,'" Affleck remembered. "'But I will not wear a Yankees hat. I just can't. I can't wear it because it's going to become a thing, David. I will never hear the end of it. I can't do it.' And I couldn't put it on my head."

This ended up becoming a big problem. In the "Gone Girl" DVD commentary, Vulture reports that Fincher told viewers they "shut down production for four days" over his argument with Affleck, whom he deemed "unprofessional." But Affleck felt he had to go to bat for his beloved Red Sox. Describing the fight as "a one-man riot against the Yankees," the actor eventually agreed to compromise by wearing a New York Mets hat. "This was very Switzerland," he told The New York Times.

Fans were split over Ben Affleck's refusal to don a New York Yankees hat. After all, it wasn't like he was actually pledging his loyalty to a longtime rival; he was simply playing a role. "Ben Affleck held up Gone Girl production for FOUR DAYS just because he didn't want his character to wear a New York Yankees cap, but he still seems to have no trouble getting work," one person shaded him on Twitter. "Remember how ben affleck refused to wear a Yankees cap for 'gone girl' but Chris Evans did not hesitate to do so for 'the nanny diaries' sometimes u need to make sacrifices for ur craft," another person agreed. There's also the fact that some people believe Affleck is unprofessional in general, and his actions here only underscore that fact. In 2014, one person spoke to Time about her dislike of Affleck, citing his "naturally douchey demeanor" and pretentiousness as examples.

With that said, Bostonians are definitely team Affleck. One fan called his loyalty to his hometown sports teams "awesome." Another Twitter user found the whole thing to be totally relatable. "If they made me wear a Man United shirt in a film I would also fight, no [way], cut the cameras. Deadass," they wrote. Sports fandoms are forever for these people.

We have just one question. Does Jennifer Lopez, a New York native, cheer for the Yankees? We have a feeling that wouldn't fly at home.