Ben Affleck splashed out on a $2,500 bathmat while he was shooting new movie Argo in Istanbul, Turkey.

The movie star decided to check out the city's bazaar during a day off and he picked up an antique rug from a persuasive salesman - but when he got it home, the only place the elaborate item would fit was his restroom.

Ben Affleck says, "The guy's saying, 'The blood of 10,000 kings is on this carpet... Your wife will love you'.

"I buy the rug... and I go home and I'm like, 'Honey, I got this awesome Istanbul rug; it's Persian and Turkish and it's got the blood of 10,000 dead kings,' and she said, 'That's great, but we already ordered the rug that we needed for the living room'.

"So now I have a $2,500 Terry cloth mat when you get outta the tub."