According to FemaleFirst, Affleck said recently: “I should never have got engaged and never gone down that route. I thought I wanted certain things, but I didn’t. I got lost and felt suffocated, miserable and gross.”Being in the middle of a tabloid frenzy, it became so intense I had to stop and think, ‘What am I doing with my life?’ “I had to smile for the cameras, but I was really in turmoil. I was no longer in control of my life and I didn’t know which way to turn. I felt like a hamster in a cage. The faster my legs went, the less distance I seemed to travel”.

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Then again, after the year Clooney’s had, his buddy will understand. Hollywood’s consummate gentleman kicked things off with an Academy Award (winning Best Supporting Actor for Syriana,) and Clooney further cemented his reputation for social activism, working on behalf of causes to help the troubled Darfur region of Sudan.

And through it all, he’s kept his sense of humor intact. “There’s a lot of pressure,” he says of the Sexiest Man Alive honor. “There are all the events you have to show up for. The sash you have to wear … is embarrassing.”

On whether he’ll ever have children:
“I think it’s the most responsible thing you can do, to have kids. It’s not something to be taken lightly. I don’t have that gene that people have to replicate. But everything in my life has changed over time.”

On his vow to “never marry again” – and whether he’s changed his mind:
“The truth is, I haven’t softened my position on anything, but it’s not something I deal with on a regular basis. Who knows? I’ve been married (in the early ’90s, to actress Talia Balsam). It’s not something I’m looking out for. The truth is, I’m really happy.”

On what he finds attractive:
“Everybody says this, but sense of humor is No. 1 for me. It’s certainly what’s most attractive. It’s not the first thing you notice at 21, but it’s the first thing you notice now. You also have to have a sense of humor about my life. It certainly has had an effect on relationships, but I would bet less of an effect than my own issues or insecurities. You can’t really blame outside forces for things not working out. You have to take some responsibility.”

On being in the tabloids:
“I usually don’t notice anymore. The funniest thing is that recently a story came out that I was with some girl from Deal or No Deal whom I had never even met.”

On his favorite on-set pranks:
“There were so many. It’s a constant battle of evil, rotten things.”

On being named Sexiest Man Alive for a second time:
“This one’s going to be hard for Brad (Pitt) since he’s been Sexiest Man Alive twice. He’s enjoyed that mantle. I’d say ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ to him and he’d go, ‘Two-time.’ So that’s been taken away. We used to call him Two Time. So Brad’s going to be upset.”