Affleck Says Damon's Upset He Worked with Clooney

Successful actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been friends since growing up within a few blocks of each other, and have frequently created films together. With Affleck now working alongside George Clooney on the new thriller Argo, he joked about how Damon was taking it.

"Matt's hurting, but you know how it is: You have to just do a lot of careful stroking and he'll come back around," said Affleck, who revealed that he had met Clooney through the Ocean's Eleven crew, which included Damon in addition to Affleck's brother, Casey.

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The film, which encompasses the real-life CIA mission to rescue the six U.S. diplomats held captive in the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, has yet to open in theaters but it has already received high praises from critics who have seen advanced screenings. That acclaim includes the Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award.

"That's a really lovely thing to get," said Affleck, who also directed the film under Clooney's production. "I like that award because it honors something I think is really fitting, which is a whole cast of actors."

As his Hollywood career progresses, Affleck has taken more of an interest in directing films while still remaining a prominent actor. He made his directorial debut in 2007 with Gone Baby Gone, which he recently followed up with The Town. As his Argo co-stars divulged, his experience as an actor makes him a better director.

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"He doesn't make his cast sleep with him. That's one of the best things that Affleck as a director doesn't do," Bryan Cranston joked, then giving his serious evaluation of Affleck's directorial abilities. "He's incredibly passionate about the work. He's compassionate [with] the actors because he is one...He creates a great atmosphere on the set so that everybody is able to do their best work."

Chris Messina, who now stars on the comedy The Mindy Project, echoed Cranston's kind words about Affleck as director, but admitted that he had his doubts about the director also acting in the film.

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"He's got so much experience; he's so smart," he said. "I thought [when] we were going to do this movie...'He's acting and directing? He's going to be out of his mind,' [but he was] so calm, so cool. Such a great guy, and I think great actors make great directors."

Check out the video for more from the cast of Argo, which is in theaters October 12.