Casey Affleck is usually the one in the limelight, but he was happy to share the stage with his two sons after they officially joined the family business.
Indiana, 22, and Atticus, 18, were cast in their dad's movie, Company, after spending most of their lives away from the spotlight to maintain a grounded upbringing.
The move may be a surprise to fans of the actor, but he was convinced after his sons helped behind the scenes.
"I was sitting around the house doing read-throughs of this script over and over, and I would have my two kids read the younger and older teens, and they were fantastic," he said at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival in September 2026.
Indiana wasn't joined by his brother Atticus in Venice
Indiana and Atticus Affleck
Casey hasn't shared many details about his two sons, but over the years he has hinted at certain milestones and expressed his joy of becoming a father.
In 2022, he revealed that Indiana had left the family home to move to the opposite coast to attend college, and Casey struggled with the distance.
"He was raised in Los Angeles. He's moving to New York City," the actor told Haute Living. "Despite all the traveling I've done between the coasts, NYC has never felt as far away as it does now. My son leaving is the only thing on my mind."
The brothers were largely kept out of the spotlight growing up but officially entered the family business when they starred in their dad's film, Company, which wasn't a surprise to Casey.
"I think they grew up around [the entertainment industry] and had some interest in it and a sort of innate understanding of what it was," Casey said at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. "Like I did, my dad worked in the theater for many years. And so it's passed down, I suppose, which is a really nice thing. And they were willing to be a part of this."
Indiana even made a rare red carpet appearance at Company's premiere at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival in September 2026. However, despite starring in the film, Atticus did not appear alongside his family at the event.
Casey said Indiana (pictured) and Atticus were 'amazing'
Casey directed his sons in Company
Casey said that directing his two sons in his movie, Company, was the "best professional experience" of his life.
"They were amazing, and it made it the best professional experience of my life by far because I got to work every day with my kids and hang around," he said of Atticus and Indiana during a press conference at the Venice Film Festival, adding: "I would do it over and over again if I could."
"The younger one [Atticus] had a spring break from high school of a week or so, and that was kind of all we needed them for," he explained. "And Indiana, the older one, he showed up and he played this part and stayed every single day and worked in the other departments and shoveled snow and carried light stands around and never complained, or rarely complained."
Casey isn't the only Hollywood star his sons look up to. They also have their dad's brother, Oscar winner Ben Affleck, and their mom, Summer Phoenix's brother, another Oscar winner, Joaquin Phoenix.
In February 2008, Casey said becoming a dad was a "transformative" experience. "It's sort of changed everything," he said at an Academy Awards Nominees luncheon. "It's far and away the best thing that ever happened to me. It's been transformative."
He also admitted the perks of being an actor meant he could spend more time with his kids. "I love being around the house and being with the kids every day, and not being someone who has to get up and go to work every day," he said.
"It's great. I love it, I love doing it every day. Being an actor means that, if you're successful anyway, you can kind of work for three or four months out of the year and then you're home a lot of the time."
Casey was married to actress Summer Phoenix, the youngest sister of late Hollywood icon River Phoenix, Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix, actress and musician Rain Phoenix, and Liberty Phoenix, who dabbled in acting before opening the eco-friendly company Indigo Green Store, which sells non-toxic building materials.
In March 2016, Casey and Summer announced their separation, with a representative for the actor saying in a statement: "Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix have amicably separated. They remain very close friends."
Summer filed for divorce in August 2017, requesting joint physical and legal custody of their two sons, as well as spousal support.
The former couple first met in 1995 when Joaquin introduced the pair, having worked with Casey's older brother Ben Affleckon To Die For. They got engaged in 2003 and went on to tie the knot three years later, in 2006.