Ben Affleck had a ‘dissociative panic attack’ after smoking weed on ‘Dazed and Confused’ set
The actor said he wasn't a heavy drinker at the time and didn't really like marijuana
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ben Affleck is reflecting on one of his earlier experiences with cannabis.
The “Argo” actor, 48, made the revelation in a new book titled, “Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused,” and opened up about his time filming the 1993 coming-of-age flick.
“I had a bad experience with marijuana at 15. I had a dissociative panic attack,” Affleck, who played Fred O’Bannion in the comedy at age 19, explained, according to Vanity Fair. “So, I only smoked weed if everyone else was smoking, and I had to sort of ‘Bill Clinton’ it and fake it. I didn’t really like marijuana.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Affleck’s account in the book was a reference to former president Bill Clinton’s confession in a 1992 interview that he had experimented with marijuana while attending Oxford as a student. Clinton maintained that while he did partake, he “didn’t inhale.”
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY REACTS TO HIS 'DAZED AND CONFUSED' AUDITION TAPE
“I also wasn’t a very heavy drinker then,” Affleck added. “I became an alcoholic much, much later, and I’m in recovery now, so that was a whole different time. I was a little nervous, like, ‘Should we be drinking before we’re working tomorrow?’ Some people were actually drinking and getting stoned at work.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LINKLATER CLASSMATES SUE OVER 'DAZED AND CONFUSED'
At just 19 and shaping a fledgling acting career, Affleck said he and his cohort of pals often got into mischief and when they weren’t partying hard, the group was busy hitting up a local gun range.
“Texas had extremely lax gun laws and most of us came from states where it was next to impossible to buy guns,” the “Way Back” star explained. “So, part of the newfound freedom of being down there was that a bunch of us bought guns and went shooting at ranges on weekends, which seemed fun and innocent at the time, but given the subsequent tragedies with young people and guns, it now makes me uncomfortable to remember.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
During his time filming in Texas, Affleck said he also adopted a Siberian husky under the noses of the crew working on the set.
Ben Affleck is opening up about his time filming the 1993 coming-of-age flick, 'Dazed and Confused.' (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
“Dazed and Confused” remains a classic in the collections of many folks. The film centers on a group of Texas high school students in progressive 1976 Austin -- in 1973, the drinking age in Texas was lowered to 18. The students in the film simply want to go out with a bang on their last day of school.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The movie was released before the careers of Affleck and his then-unknown costars Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, Milla Jovovich, Cole Hauser and other young stars at the time ascended.