3 APRIL 2002
Hollywood actor Ben Affleck has splashed out more than £15,000 on a set of half-page advertisements to say how much he enjoyed working with his new co-star Jennifer Lopez. The pair are currently shooting the comedy-thriller Gigli in Long Beach, California.

Ben says he took out the ads, which appeared in trade papers Variety and Hollywood Reporter, because he was ashamed of his “preconceived notions” about the Out Of Sight star. During her rise to superstardom 31-year-old Jennifer has gained herself a reputation for being something of a diva. But Ben says he wanted to redress the balance and aimed the adverts at those who had spread the rumours.

“I really liked working with her and have been so impressed with her acting skills,” he said. “In a lot of ways it was in contrast to what some of my pre-conceptions were about Jennifer. I thought I’d write a paragraph saying what a professional, decent person I think she is and how kind she is.”

The 29-year-old Good Will Hunting and Pearl Harbor actor plays a low-level mobster in Gigli, while Jennifer portrays a free-spirited gangster. The film is due to come out next year.