Ben Affleck Shares Why He Has “a Lot of Empathy” for Britney Spears 

Ben Affleck knows that being in the spotlight can be exhausting.

While detailing his own experience with being followed by paparazzi over the years, the Good Will Hunting star explained why he has so much compassion for stars like Britney Spears, who have dealt with intense photographers not respecting their boundaries.

“Years and years ago, I really had a lot of empathy for Britney Spears,” Affleck, 52, explained in an April 24 episode of Theo Vonn’s This Past Weekend podcast. “[She’s] not someone I knew or hung out with, but just like everybody else, you see all this s–t that comes through. But having had my own experiences, I knew these are people who are following her around at a time where she may or may not have been having difficulty.”

Affleck then described the media scrutiny the “Toxic” singer went through during the late aughts as “poking a stick” at someone until they become a “growling animal.” Indeed, some of Spears’ most private moments have been captured by the paparazzi, including when she infamously shaved her head in 2007. At the time, she was in the middle of her divorce from Kevin Federline and custody battle over their sons Sean, 19, and Jayden, 18.