Ben Afffleck To Take Backstage At Convention 8/21/08

Actor Ben Affleck will not make a speech at the upcoming Democratic National Convention - because he doesn't want to steal Barack Obama's thunder.

The Pearl Harbor star is set to join a host of celebrities and rallying around the party's presidential candidate at the event in Denver, Colorado next week (beg25Aug08).

But according to the New York Daily News, Affleck has ruled out a high-profile appearance because he doesn't want to hog the limelight. A source tells the newspaper: "He won't be delivering speeches.

Instead, he'll be anteing up for a disabled veterans' poker tournament, as well as participating in America's Second Harvest events - packing lunches for local food banks. "And he'll be sitting in on a panel discussion on combating global poverty."

Other A-listers reportedly planning to attend the event include filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee, movie stars Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Susan Sarandon, and Forest Whitaker, and rapper Kanye West.