Aaron Eckhart's private peg

Jul 10, 2007, 11:00 GMT

03/05/2007 - Aaron Eckhart - 300 Los Angeles Premiere - Grauman\'s Chinese - Hollywood, CA © David Gabber / Photorazzi

Aaron Eckhart clamped a clothes-peg on his genitals to make him a better actor.

The actor appears in new comedy 'Bill', alongside Jessica Alba, and needed help pretending to be in pain for one 'agonising' scene.

Eckhart - who starred opposite Katie Holmes in 'Thank You For Smoking' - star revealed to Men's Journal magazine: "I had to pretend that my nuts hurt, so I put a clothespin on my nuts.

"Otherwise, you're just learning your lines and saying them. There's no art in that.

"People say, 'Why do you want to put a clothespin on your nuts?' You know why? Because that's what I do for a living."

The 39-year-old actor is a big fan of method acting.

He bought his own motorbike after learning to ride for the part of Julia Roberts' love interest in 'Erin Brockovich'.

In 'Bill', Eckhart plays a man disillusioned with his job and cheating wife, who manages to turn his life around after becoming a mentor to an unruly teenager.

'Spider-Man 3' actress Elizabeth Banks plays his wife and Alba the main love interest, Lucy.

Lindsay Lohan was originally cast as Lucy but had to drop out of the film due to "scheduling commitments".

(C) BANG Media International