What does David Fincher really think of Ben Affleck?

Save the Date. 20th Century Fox has set a release date for Gone Girl, the screen adaptation of Gillian Flynn's best seller starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. The twisty thriller will hit the movie theaters next fall on October 3rd.  A good time for a movie without superheroes! 
Although I am not at all sure what to make of this shot (all set shots courtesy of the South East) Missourian) of Amy (Rosamund Pike) striding 'expectantly' down the street. So dowdy! 

Poor Ben Affleck has taken quite a bit of flak about being cast as Nick in David Fincher's adaptation of Gone Girl. Plenty of people - me included - weren't exactly thrilled with the news of his casting (too old, imho) BUT he's growing on me. 

The director (above left with Ben Affleck, right) recently gave an interview to the SouthEast Missourian, the local Cape Girardeau newspaper - where Gone Girl is currently shooting. While he wasn't asked about the reaction to Affleck's casting, he was asked how he brings out the best in an actor, specifically Ben Affleck.  Fincher had this to say. 

I think Ben is very much like his character (NICK) in that he wants you to like him. He likes to be liked. And I don't think that's specific to Ben; actors want affirmation that what they're doing is worthwhile, especially if you're going to make them do something 35 times. I find Ben to be very playful and funny. He's very bright and, like anyone who takes what they do seriously, he wants to make sure he's going to make the thing better.

Fincher is referring to his own well-known penchant for shooting take after take when he says "Especially if you're going to make them do something 35 times".  Actually a lot of actors seem to appreciate what's essentially in camera rehearsal.

New Carthage residents put Amy Dunne's MISSING poster all over town (Cape Girardeau, MO)

In the same interview Fincher talks about scouting and finding Cape Girardeau to fill in for Gone Girl's fictitious New Carthage, Missouri location. 

 There's a funny story about that because I told Gillian Flynn, who wrote the book, that we were going to Missouri for scouting. We scouted and got photos from Carthage, Springfield -- a bunch of other places. We needed a place where there was a downtown, access to water, a place to have a vigil, a place for a bar. I got the photos of Cape Girardeau and said this might be the place. I called Gillian and told her that I'd found a place and that it's Cape Girardeau. She said, "Oh, that's what I had in my head when I wrote the book." I said, "Gillian, you don't have to keep this stuff from me. We could've saved a couple of weeks of people driving around."

It does seem a little odd since they supposedly wrote the script 'together'? Why do you think Flynn didn't share her vision of New Carthage with Fincher? Do you think she should have brought it up - or let Fincher find his own way?  I'm surprised he didn't ask. Odd!