Ben Affleck Grows Up  9/12/06

Ben Affleck credits the media furor surrounding his relationship with Jennifer Lopez and the critical mauling of the two movies they made together with helping him "grow up".

The actor turned his back on Hollywood and has been a virtual recluse since his split from Lopez and the disastrous performances of Gigli and Jersey Girl in 2003 and 2004.

Affleck is now back with new movie Hollywoodland - for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival - and he insists he has learned much from the episode.

Affleck - now happily married to Jennifer Garner and with a baby daughter Violet - tells PageSix, "I try to appreciate what a privileged life I have, and the great things about being in a business that doesn't encourage self-control, I'm more humble, less callous about certain things, but also not given to beating myself up so much. It took me a long time to grow up, find my centre, evolve."