Actor and director Ben Affleck defended Timothée Chalamet's ambition to achieve greatness in a recent interview with Yahoo published while discussing his upcoming Netflix film, Animals. Chalamet previously faced criticism for publicly stating his desire to make great films, a reaction Affleck attributed to youth and envy.

"Timothée Chalamet got a lot of shit for being like, 'I'm trying to do something great,'" Affleck told Yahoo. "I think that has to do with him being young and people being kind of envious."

"The truth is, I see that, and I'm like, 'Great! Yeah!.' What are we ... aspiring to mediocrity?

Of course you want to aspire to something great," Affleck added, noting this mindset shapes his choice of collaborators. Reflecting on his own career, Affleck also looked back at the film Pearl Harbor 25 years after its release, stating he still loves its visual style while feeling the story could have gone deeper.

Affleck is both acting and directing in Animals, acknowledging that films do not always succeed while maintaining that aiming high remains worthwhile.