Ben Affleck admitted that he had never heard of Blake Lively when he cast her in his latest movie.
The Academy award winner had never watched an episode of Gossip Girl before her audition but was stunned by her acting ability.
Affleck is directing and starring in The Town which, along with Lively, also stars Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall and Chris Cooper.
In an interview with Esquire the actor turned director said: “The whole movie kind of hinges in a lot of ways on her performance, and I knew it was going to be the hardest part to cast.
“This girl came in, and no-one had said to me beforehand, 'Hey, look for this person'," he said. "And obviously she was really attractive, and so I thought, 'Oh, here comes some blonde girl'. She came in, did one reading, and just crushed it."
"I was sort of stunned. I said, 'Jeez, you know, that was really f**king good. Who are you?' She didn’t mention that she was on a television show.
"I just said, 'Look, there's no alternative. I don't have a second choice'. I want to be on the record because I think she's really going to blow up, and I want to look like the smart guy," he said. "I didn't quite discover her, but at least I want to say I bought the stock when it wasn't $500 (£310) a share."
Affleck’s directorial debut Gone Baby Gone was critically acclaimed when it was released back in 2007 and got his career back on his feet.
He has since gone on to star in State of Play and He’s Just Not That Into you but returns to the director’s chair for The Town.
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