Despite not quite discovering her, Ben Affleck joked about being credited with putting Blake Lively on the map.
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After starring as Bridget in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and in the CW's Gossip Girl, in the late 2000s, Blake Lively had already cemented herself as a notable name in showbiz. But Ben Affleck was pretty oblivious to Lively's filmography when she auditioned for The Town.
Given that the entire film hinged on the character of Krista Coughlin, getting it right was the most challenging part of the casting process. Unaware of Lively's previous work, Affleck initially felt she was just another attractive blonde girl, but Lively made him eat his words.
While Ben Affleck went from actress to actress to find the right fit for Krista, a reading from Blake Lively assured the director that she was the one to get the job. Additionally, Affleck had a hunch she was going to blow up, unaware of the fact that she was already a big name in the industry, and later joked that he deserved credit for putting Lively on the map, even though he "didn't quite discover her”.
