Ben Affleck and Gavin O’Connor discuss action in The Accountant 2: “It’s all about emotion”

As The Accountant 2 prepares to release, director Gavin O’Connor and star Ben Affleck delve into what sets the film’s action sequences apart from typical Hollywood spectacle. Their approach prioritizes storytelling and emotional depth over flashy stunt work, making the film’s violence feel raw, visceral, and deeply connected to the characters’ journeys.

Affleck, reprising his role as Christian Wolff, explained the unique perspective O’Connor brings to the film’s action. “To me, what makes it interesting and what made me think that we could do something that would actually connect with an audience in the sense that they feel something for what's happening is because Gavin's approach is always about what does each character want, why are they doing this,” he said. Rather than designing action scenes purely for visual spectacle, the sequences in The Accountant 2 are driven by character motivations, making them more engaging and meaningful.

O’Connor echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the action had to serve the story. “We can cite action movies that are great, but it just feels like the action is in front of the characters,” he said. “For us, we were always coming from characters. When we got to the third act, we were tracking, ‘How are these guys working together? How are they now united?’ We knew what the stakes were, we knew what they wanted. So, inside of the action and the choreography, really it was about the emotional line between the two brothers and how they were going to try to accomplish this together.”

This character-driven action, O’Connor explained, is what elevates The Accountant 2 beyond typical action films. He said, “Action is like dance, right? It’s just doing it in beats. But action is emotional. Disposable violence—who cares about, right? So, it was really about evoking emotion because you care about the characters.”

With O’Connor’s grounded and emotionally resonant approach to action and Affleck’s deep connection to his character, The Accountant 2 promises to deliver intense, meaningful action sequences that will leave audiences both thrilled and emotionally invested.

Also Read: Ben Affleck reveals why he returned for The Accountant 2: “The fans brought me back”