Gossip Girl star Blake Lively had to fight for her role in new Ben Affleck movie The Town - because casting directors were convinced she was too young for the part.

The actress, 22, was turned away when she first expressed interest in playing mother-of-one Krista Coughlin in the upcoming crime drama.

But she refused to give up hope and jumped on a train to Boston, Massachusetts to seek out Affleck, who stars in and directs the film, to audition for him personally.

Her tactics worked - and scriptwriters were forced to rework the screenplay to suit Lively.

She tells Us Weekly magazine, "My part was supposed to be a 37 year old. I was like, 'I have to play this.' And they're like, 'No, you're not 37.'

"I took a train to Boston and auditioned for Ben and fought for the role, and he gave me the job on the spot. They rewrote it so I'm 29."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)