DIRECTOR’S CUT – Seems J.Lo isn’t the only one who’s been betrayed by Ben Affleck. Director Kevin Smith, in Boston yesterday to promote “Jersey Girl,” said the Cambridge actor’s a real sweetheart, “but he goes out and cheats on me, doing movies with other people.” Best known for his 1994 comedy “Clerks,” Smith is a big fan of the whole Affleck clan, having cast Ben in “Mall Rats,” “Dogma,” and now “Jersey Girl,” and Ben and Casey Affleck in “Chasing Amy.” “Their mom, Chris, also has exquisite taste,” Smith said. “She’s the one who told Ben that he should see `Clerks.’ Actually, I hold his mom in much higher regard.” Of “Jersey Girl,” which hits theaters March 26, Smith said he’s hoping it’ll be Affleck’s comeback film after the disaster that was “Gigli.” “I helped put him on the map, and maybe this one will save his bacon,” he said. “That [expletive] is going to owe me big time if this is a hit.” The movie, which Smith describes as “about a dude and his kid,” does not include a Ben-and-Jen wedding scene, although the scene was shot. “We decided we could tell the story without it, so we cut it,” Smith said. Finally, we just had to ask about those persistent rumors that Ben wears a toupee. Any truth to that? “I came in one day and said, `Dude, I just read on the Internet you’re wearing a rug,’ ” Smith said. “No, man, that fantastic head of hair is his.”

At nine years old, Raquel Castro can finally say that her dream has come true. After all, she has wanted to be an actress for over half of her life.

When Castro was four years old she saw the movie “Selena” and was amazed at the performance of break-out star Jennifer Lopez.

“I saw the movie, and I said, ‘I want to sing and dance,'” says Castro. “Then one day my mom snuck in my room when I was dancing, and she said, ‘She would be a good actress.”

The charming toddler began auditioning with against and landed a part in a Robitussin commercial. This year she will debut in her first feature film, “Jersey Girl,” which also star Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler.

In a coincidence only possible in Hollywood, Lopez also has a role in the film. Castro could not believe her luck at having the chance to work with the woman who had inspired her to perform in the first place. “The first time I met her I couldn’t talk,” Castro says. “I got so nervous. That was the best day of my life.”

It can be hard enough for adults to balance a demanding job with personal responsibilities . How does a nine-year-old manage? “I know lot of kids who act,” Castro explains. “I’m good at school and at acting. First I do my homework, then I look over my scripts.”

When the cameras are off, Castro is a normal girl who enjoys karate, playing piano, singing, ice skating, horse-back riding, and reading. In the future she would like to be in a scary movie or one with actor-singer Hillary Duff, but for now she might be headed to Broadway; the young actress recently auditioned for an upcoming production.

Already wise for her years, Castro offers sage advice to others pursuing a career on the big screen: “If you want to do a movie, never be scared. You have to have faith in yourself. Do your best, and it’s going to be good.”