Oscar-winning actor and director Ben Affleck takes his acting roles very seriously, so when it comes to character development, he doesn't let a language barrier get in the way of his craft.

In the high-stakes, crime thriller, Runner Runner, which hit the box office this weekend, Affleck plays gambling kingpin Ivan Block alongside Justin Timberlake and Cuban American actor Yul Vazquez. Affleck upped the ante and decided he wanted his character to speak Spanish to make the role more believable.

Did it work?

Vazquez, who plays Delegate Herrera in the film, tells NBC Latino that he had fun working alongside Affleck and Timberlake and shares his thoughts on the actor's Spanish capability.

"The scenes were done in English, but he shows up that day and goes, 'Hey man, can we do it (the scene) in Spanish?' The director (Brad Furman) said 'yeah sure,' so we did it in Spanish, but that was unexpected," Vazquez explains.

While Vazquez helped Affleck with a few words and gave him a couple of nudges, he says his assistance was "really nothing major, honestly, that was all him."

In Runner Runner, Timberlake plays a graduate student who travels to Costa Rica to confront an online gambling tycoon played by Affleck, who swindles him.

While gambling is a core theme, writers, David Levien and Brian Koppelman, (who penned the 1998 gambling drama, Rounders) said they were inspired by the behaviors and motivations of shady operators from many other industries as well, Reuters reports.

"We never set out to intentionally hit a topic. We loved the idea of a maverick businessman who is immune to extradition. It was informed by gaming as well as other business figures," said Levien of the 20th Century Fox film.

Where did Affleck pick up Spanish? Affleck spent a year in Mexico as a teen and his acting roles have exposed him to the language as well.

Last year, Affleck, who starred in and directed the dramatic thriller Argo, (based on the real-life CIA mission to get six Americans out of Tehran safely during the Iran hostage crisis (1979 - 1981), also spoke Spanish, but with an Argentine accent.  

Affleck took on the role of Tony Mendez, the real-life 'exfiltration' specialist who was responsible for pulling off the mission.  During the film, he collaborated with Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, who has worked with Pedro Almodovar and Oliver Stone.

Affleck has gained further credibility sitting in the director's chair; he starred in and directed Gone Baby Gone and The Town.

What other stars speak Spanish?

According to About.com, there are several who have crossed the language barrier:

Affleck's younger brother Casey Affleck learned Spanish while living in Mexico and during film stints in that country.

Although he married an Argentine woman, actor Matt Damon spoke Spanish long before he met her. He said in a 2012 interview with The Guardian that he studied Spanish through immersion in Mexico as a teenager and later backpacked throughout Mexico and Guatemala.

American actor Danny DeVito, who voiced the title role in the 2012 animated film The Lorax, also provided the voice for the Spanish and Latin American versions. (ABC.es)

Young actress Dakota Fanning had a Spanish-speaking role in the 2004 film Man on Fire. (IMDb)

Although he didn't speak Spanish before signing on, actor and comedian Will Ferrell starred in the 2012 Spanish-language film Casa De Mi Padre.

Actor Matthew McConaughey picked up Spanish while growing up in Uvalde, Texas, which has a large Spanish-speaking population. (Perezhilton.com)

American actress Gwyneth Paltrow spent the summer of her sophomore year in high school as a foreign exchange student in Talavera de la Reina, Spain. She continues to regularly visit the town and her host family. (People magazine)

Rocker David Lee Roth recorded a Spanish version of his song Eat 'Em and Smile, calling it Sonrisa Salvaje (meaning "Wild Smile").

Actor Will Smith spoke a limited amount of Spanish during a 2009 interview on the Spanish TV show El Hormiguero. At one point he exclaimed, "¡Necesito más palabras!" ("I need more words!") (YouTube)

Rocker Jon Bon Jovi has recorded a few of his songs in Spanish, including Cama de rosas ("Bed of Roses"). (Bonjovi.com)

Actress Kate Bosworth speaks Spanish fluently. (IMDb biography)

Soccer superstar David Beckham learned Spanish while playing for Real Madrid.