Fans have spotted Ben Affleck doesn't exactly look happy in many of his paparazzi pictures.
In fact, the 52-year-old Californian actor often looks actively p***** off in pics, which he gave a reasonable explanation for while appearing on Theo Von's This Past Weekend podcast.
The Gone Girl star explained there are many facets of Hollywood life that he doesn't like.
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"I don't really like to do big social events or go out much," Affleck began. "I'm kind of shy, I don't really like to be on camera," he said, which is a big claim to make for a multi-award winning actor.
However, he said there's a difference between being on camera to perform in a movie and when he's caught off guard in his 'regular life.'
As to why he looks visibly enraged or 'bummed' out as Von put it, The Accountant star laughed but shed a grim light on how the paparazzi manage to stage the events for money, explaining how they 'follow' stars and 'antagonise' them for the shot.
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"It's true," Affleck replied. "When someone's taking a picture of me, I'm bummed because I'm usually with my kids, I'm trying to go somewhere," he explained, adding how 'every time' when in these private moments 'four guys' jump out with a camera.
"And I'm like, 'Hey man, can you give me some time? I'm trying to be with my kids. Do you mind?' Do you know what I mean?
"And then they go away and you go inside and you're having a good time, but it's this selective experience of taking a picture of somebody every time they're feeling irritated - they're going to look irritated.
"It's like, 'I'll come, p*** you off and then take your picture' and then put it out like, 'Look how p***** off he is!"
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The dad-of-three went on to say he had a 'lot of empathy for Britney Spears' for the way the tabloids not only hunted her, but taunted her too.
He said: "Having had my own experiences myself, I knew these people [were] following her around in a time where she may or may not have been having difficulty.
"I don't know, because I don't know her, but I do know that the cycle of having people harangue and yell at you and hassle you and follow you - it kind of seemed like that itself was kind of whipping up the whole thing into a tizzy.
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"They're kind of poking a stick at it and going 'look, look, look at it.'"
Von also slammed the culture as like a Black Mirror episode being played out in real life while Affleck agreed that watching the way the pop star was treated in the spotlight exposed him for 'the first time' to the 'unintentional but collective cruelty' of the paparazzi industry.
Personally, Affleck also doesn't want people catching a glimpse of his private life when he's in his normal clothes and with his family.
"As an actor, it's no good for you because I don't really want people, if they watch a movie, to be like, 'that's not him. Because I saw him yesterday at lunch and I know he's who he really is.' It gets in the way of you being able to create the illusion," he explained.
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However, the two-time Golden Globes winner admitted he knew fame would come at such a heavy cost, but still believes he would be 'much happier' if he was 'left alone.'
Topics: Ben Affleck, Celebrity, Hollywood, Britney Spears, Entertainment, US News
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