Social media users are stunned by the visual similarities between Ben Affleck and convicted murderer Scott Peterson.
The creepy comparison between inmate Peterson and actor Affleck caused a stir online after American Murder: Laci Peterson was released last week.
The Netflix docuseries debuted in the top 10 of most-watched television series, and Peacock came up with its own series about the case. Both series showed clips of Peterson before and after his pregnant wife’s disappearance.
After her body washed up in San Francisco Bay in 2003, her husband Peterson, now 51, was arrested and sentenced to death for the murder.
In addition to the obvious physical similarities, several Reddit and X users pointed out that Affleck’s character in the 2014 film Gone Girl also bears a strong resemblance to the true crime story of Peterson’s involvement in his wife’s murder.
Social media users have compared Ben Affleck’s (pictured) appearance to that of Scott Peterson, who is serving a life sentence for murder
Scott Peterson (pictured) participated in his first interview in more than 20 years on the Peacock docuseries, Face to Face with Scott Peterson
Peterson gained notoriety after his pregnant wife Laci disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002.
The two fell in love in college and their marriage was, according to those who knew them, perfect.
Scott remained eerily calm during press conferences about his wife’s disappearance. He was arrested after the bodies of Laci and their unborn son Conner were identified in April 2003.
He was sentenced to death for murder, but was sentenced to life without parole in 2021 after a retrial.
Gone Girl was based on the 2012 novel of the same name, which author Gillian Flynn confirmed was not entirely based on the Peterson case during an interview with Entertainment weekly.
“I definitely didn’t want to do anything specific. You could point to Scott and Laci Peterson — they were definitely a good-looking couple,” Flynn said.
Ben Affleck stands next to the missing poster of his fictional wife in the film Gone Girl
Scott Peterson stands next to a missing poster of his pregnant wife in 2003
‘Normally you don’t often see incredibly ugly people disappear, and then it becomes a sensation.’
While the Peterson case wasn’t the official inspiration for Gone Girl, several Reddit users still believe Affleck was cast because of his physical resemblance to killer Peterson.
“The novel is inspired by the Laci Peterson case, but it’s not even close to a fictional account,” one Reddit user wrote wrote in 2020.
Others pointed out the similarities between the film and the whole case, including the media circus.
“In both cases, a press conference was held and the families organized vigils,” wrote another Reddit user.
“Scott and Nick, we’ve been getting questions about whether he’s a suspect, but in real life Scott walked away instead of answering.”
Another similarity that Reddit users didn’t overlook was the affair Peterson and Affleck’s characters had before their wives’ disappearance.
Affleck’s character (left) is interviewed by detectives in Gone Girl
Scott Peterson is questioned by detectives after his wife’s disappearance in 2002
Scott Peterson received a lot of publicity in the months before and after Laci and their unborn son were found dead
Several Reddit users compared their looks after watching the documentary, with one person claiming that Ben Affleck was cast in Gone Girl because of his looks
Several X-users have been pushing for Affleck to play Peterson in a biopic, following the Netflix documentary.
“It’s crazy how similar Scott Peterson and Ben Affleck are. I know he did Gone Girl, but if they ever make a Laci Peterson movie, Ben Scott has to be in it,” tweeted an X user.
Another X user wrote: ‘Ben Affleck was seen in a Lifetime movie about Scott Peterson.’
‘I’m watching the new Laci Peterson documentary on Netflix and it’s insane how much Ben Affleck’s character in Gone Girl is modeled after Scott Peterson. All around 10/10,’ wrote a tweeter.
X-users were shocked by the similarities in appearance and insisted that Ben Affleck play Scott Peterson in a biopic