‘Out of the Furnace’: Casey Affleck on his ‘Ratatouille’ moment

What does “Out of the Furnace,” the new thriller starring Christian Bale as a blue-collar worker trying to save his troubled war veteran brother (Casey Affleck), have to do with “Ratatouille,” the 2007 animated movie about a rat who moonlights as a gourmet chef? More than you might think.

At a recent installment of the Envelope Screening Series, Affleck discussed how acting in “Out of the Furnace” helped him get back to his roots and reminded him of a pivotal scene in the 2007 Pixar film.

After declaring “Ratatouille” one of his favorite films of all time, Affleck spent a few minutes recounting (with some minor spoilers) a climactic scene in which the feared food critic Anton Ego is transported back to his childhood by a bite of ratatouille, the peasant dish his mother used to cook for him.

WATCH: ‘Out of the Furnace’ cast, crew discuss the film

“It reminded him of why he loved food,” Affleck explained, seemingly somewhat bemused by his own analogy. Affleck’s role opposite Bale in “Out of the Furnace,” he said, similarly helped him reconnect with his love of acting.

“I had been a little bit … sort of lost in terms of what I liked about acting and movies,” Affleck continued. “And when I started the movie and I did the first few scenes with Christian — I say this at the risk of embarrassing him and myself — but I completely had that same experience, where I was reminded of what I really had always loved about acting and what I wanted to do as an actor. And it was just from watching him in those scenes, and then from there, that wave of inspiration kind of carried me through.”

For more from the cast and crew of “Out of the Furnace,” watch the video above and check back for daily highlights.

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