Townsend: 'We're not Ben and J.Lo'

Charlize Theron and Irish boyfriend Stuart Townsend have turned down the chance to work with each other on the big screen many times because they're terrified of becoming another Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.

The couple, who met and fell in love on the set of Trapped in 2001, have just made a second film together - their first as a couple - but admit they've been offered many others.

Townsend reveals they chose to work on John Duigan's Head In the Clouds because it was such a good script.

He explains: "We've been offered a few things before this to work together and they weren't right. This felt like the right story.

"It didn't feel like it was going to be a Gigli thing. We're not Ben and J.Lo. We're much more private and that's just madness. That's up there in the Michael Jackson realm.

"I don't think a lot of people would even know we're together, which is probably great. I think the more people who don't know, the better.

"I'm not worried because we're not doing the boyfriend/girlfriend thing. We're not doing press together and making this a boyfriend/girlfriend vehicle at all."