Ben Affleck thinks George Clooney was "shaped" by his early setbacks in Hollywood.
Ben Affleck has heaped praise on George Clooney
The Oscar-winning star joined forces with George, 60, for the coming-of-age drama film 'The Tender Bar', and Ben believes that his director still works as hard as ever, despite his fame and success.
He explained: "I knew how much he cared, he really cares about making things good, he really loves actors and acting.
"The sort of most formative years of his life, to me, seem to be that time when he came out to LA and was struggling as an actor, and then auditioning and sleeping on couches - and then got a pilot and the show didn't go, and people were saying, ‘Ah well, you're just this pretty guy', you know?
"It shaped him, that is still who he is, this guy who wants to work so hard and has something to prove, but also has a tremendous affection, affinity for actors and what they go through.
"You couldn't ask for more as an actor than somebody who really appreciates and values what you're trying to do and wants to help you do it, and it lived up to every expectation I had."
Ben, 49, loved shooting the film and admits he didn't have a single bad day on set.
He told Sky News' 'Backstage' podcast: "It is unusual ... when I'm working, I work really hard and I find that you sort of have to focus on what's a problem in order to make something really good and really dig into it, and so as a consequence, you find yourself fixated on what's difficult or hard most of the day.
"But every now and again, you just get lucky."
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