Ben Affleck took the stage at SXSW to discuss The Accountant 2, where he reprised his role as Christian Wolff. During the film’s world premiere, one scene in particular had the audience in Austin roaring with laughter—his attempt at line dancing.
Christian, typically uncomfortable in social situations, begins the film struggling at a speed dating event. Later, he finds himself in a country bar, where he observes the repetitive motions of a group on the dance floor. After an awkward exchange with a woman at his booth, he joins in, mastering the steps with ease despite wearing orthopedic sneakers instead of cowboy boots. The moment lands him a phone number and became a highlight for the SXSW crowd.
“For me, the challenge, of course, was the months and months I spent training to line dance. It was a stunt for me,” Affleck joked onstage at the Paramount Theater. “Tom Cruise has nothing on me.” As the audience cheered, he added, “In terms of line dancing.”
The topic dominated the post-screening Q&A, with director Gavin O’Connor even teasing Affleck about a supposed nude scene. Affleck responded, “It was a choice! I liked it!”
O’Connor, who directed the original 2016 film, reunited with Affleck for the sequel. Writer Bill Dubuque also returned to continue the story of Christian Wolff, an autistic accountant with combat skills. Affleck expressed enthusiasm about revisiting the character, saying, “It was wonderful.”
Jon Bernthal, who plays Christian’s brother Braxton, said he was eager for their characters to share more screen time in the sequel. “Ben’s a hero of mine. I admire him so much, because he’s equal parts a great person as he is a great artist,” he said. “Making movies for me is usually knocking my head into a wall; I’m kind of hating myself. But this was very easy. It was very easy to work with him.”
The sequel also introduces several autistic actors, a decision the filmmakers emphasized as an important step in casting. Producer Lynette Howell Taylor addressed this during the panel, saying, “Whenever there’s an opportunity to knock down barriers to new talent, like neurodiverse talent that maybe doesn’t have the opportunity to showcase what they can do, why wouldn’t we do that?”
One of those actors, Allison Robertson, made her feature debut as Justine, a character who works at Harbor Neuroscience, which trains autistic children in forensic work. “This was the best introduction to so-called Hollywood I could have ever had,” Robertson said, explaining that she pursued the role without an agent. “And it was even more meaningful that they chose me for me.”
O’Connor acknowledged the long road to getting The Accountant 2 made, noting that finding the right timing and support was key. The film found a home with Affleck and Matt Damon’s production company, Artists Equity, in partnership with Amazon MGM Studios.
