19 DECEMBER 2003
In the new film Paycheck, Ben Affleck plays a genius whose memory is erased after each top-secret assignment he completes. The hunky actor is unlikely to forget the premiere of the flick, however, as he was accompanied by beautiful co-stars Uma Thurman and Michelle Harrison as he strode up the red carpet in Westwood, California.

His character, Michael Jennings, is an electrician who is hired by high-tech corporations for covert operations. He expects to earn an eight-figure sum for his latest three-year contract, but when payday comes he receives nothing more than an envelope full of random objects.

Despite having no knowledge of his own past, our hero must try to piece together his identity. And when his employers set out to do him in, the embattled sparky realises that his problems are even worse than he thought.

The adrenaline-packed film was directed by action-movie maestro John Woo. And it seems motorcycle-mad Ben was the ideal actor for the part. Several sequences see him speeding through oncoming traffic on a powerful BMW 1150, and the 31-year-old opted to film most of the scenes himself, rather than rely on a professional rider.

Despite his passion for freewheeling, Ben's heart belongs to fiancée Jennifer Lopez. But when reporters reviewing Paycheck asked him about his wedding plans, the actor made a jokey reference to old friend Matt Damon.

"I'm willing to make a statement about this marriage right now," he declared. "This is legal now, in Massachusetts, and Matt and I have set a date. We marry on New Year's day in Provincetown. Be there!"