The movie star reveals that when he was young, he was desperate to get a pet when he was 10, but his mom insisted he wouldn't be able to look after a pooch.

• Mar 6, 2020

AceShowbiz - Ben Affleck walked an imaginary dog around his neighbourhood in Boston, Massachusetts to prove to his mum he was responsible enough to have a real one.

The movie star was desperate to get a pet when he was 10, but his mum insisted he wouldn't be able to look after a pooch.

"She said, 'I want you to show me that you can do this. You have to walk the dog every day, twice a day... First you have to walk an imaginary dog... so I know that you will do it!' " Ben recalled during an appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show".

"This woman, who I hope is watching, gave me a leash and I had to walk around the block... and we get to three weeks and she says, 'Alright, forget it. I'm not getting you a dog.' "

"She taught me the lesson of disappointment. She was like, 'I didn't think you were gonna follow through.' "

Years later, when Affleck first arrived in Hollywood, he eventually got a dog.

"I had no money and no job and lived in a tiny apartment...," he added. "I got a husky and they only roam, they wanna escape... and I quickly realised you have to get the dog food, the vet costs money..."

The pet was stolen and Ben admits he didn't "rush out" to get another dog.

"He probably was not living his best life," he mused over his lost pet. "I'm sure he had a very happy life on a farm in Montana or somewhere."