Ben Affleck admits Jennifer Lopez romance forced him to make major compromises: ‘A reluctant participant’

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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s relationship is again below a microscope in a brand new documentary, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” and it seems Affleck remains to be reluctantly coping with the general public scrutiny that adopted the couple after they first acquired collectively within the early 2000s.

The documentary follows Lopez as she works on not solely her new album, “This is Me…Now,” but additionally the high-concept music movie “This is Me…Now: A Love Story.”

In the early minutes of the movie, Lopez shares that her new music was impressed by a set of handwritten love letters from Affleck, which she confirmed to songwriters and musicians working along with her.

The Oscar winner discovered irony in making a report about “the greatest love story never told” by telling it so publicly.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez sitting on a couch together

Ben Affleck expressed a few of his considerations about privateness in Jennifer Lopez’s new documentary, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told.” (Gilbert Flores/Variety through Getty Images)

JENNIFER LOPEZ, BEN AFFLECK: A LOOK BACK AT THEIR RELATIONSHIP

“Jen was really inspired by this experience, which is how artists do their work,” Affleck stated. “They get inspired by their personal life, it moves you. I know as a writer and director I certainly do the same things. But things that are private I had always felt are sacred and special in part because they’re private.

“So, this was one thing of an adjustment for me.”

At a screening earlier this week for the documentary, Lopez said her husband was a “reluctant participant” in the whole thing. 

According to People, she told the audience during a Q&A, “The different scary half was that I used to be bringing into it my husband, who was form of the reluctant participant, silent participant and all.

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A serious looking Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck posing together

When he discovered a set of affection letters he wrote for Lopez have been being proven as inspiration for her new album, he was hesitant about it as a result of “things that are private I had always felt are sacred and special, in part because they’re private.”  (Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic)

“I just said to him during one of the parts of the movie, I was like, ‘Is this weird?’ He’s like, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘You’re crazy.’ I told him he was crazy, not me. But I know that I’m a crazy one. I get that part.” 

Despite describing him as reluctant, she later stated Affleck was the one who inspired the documentary.

“It wasn’t my idea to photograph every single moment of doing this,” she stated. “To be honest, when we started making the film, it just kind of got more and more bizarre, and my husband, who had a front seat to the whole thing really, was the one who was like, ‘We should be capturing this,’ and he brought on this amazing team and that’s kind of how it happened.”

Though he’s supportive of Lopez’s imaginative and prescient and energy all through the documentary, he nonetheless admits his hesitancy with having the highlight on their relationship.

Affleck and Lopez

Lopez acknowledged her husband’s discomfort with being her muse for her new album and film however stated he additionally instructed following the method, which turned the documentary. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

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“It’s the first time she’s done something as an artistic form of expression that was purely for the sake of what she had to express. It was about bringing out the things she felt inside just wanted to say,” Affleck stated. 

“And I don’t really love being in the making of documentary about my personal life, which is why I’m so relieved that it’s not really — it seems like I might be in this, but not really. I was worrying for no reason. The movie wasn’t about me. It was about the ability to love yourself. And that love story is a lot f—ing harder to find than prince charming.”

Celebrity matchmaker Alessandra Conti notes that there is been a shift in how the general public engages with well-known {couples}.

“Navigating the complexities of fame and having a very public relationship was challenging back in the early 2000s, but now it has reached a different level. Every couple who is remotely in the public eye experiences an intense level of scrutiny, especially with the dawn of social media,” she instructed Fox News Digital.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez posing together on the red carpet

Affleck stated he did not “love being in the making of a documentary about my personal life” however realized it wasn’t about him.  (Robin L Marshall/WireImage)

JENNIFER LOPEZ AND BEN AFFLECK ‘CRUMBLED UNDER THE PRESSURE’ BEFORE CALLING OFF THEIR 2003 WEDDING

“However, J.Lo and Ben have kept a relatively low profile when it comes to social media, and although they are supporting each other at professional events, they have kept the intimate details of their relationship private. This is a smart strategy, and as long as their privacy is maintained, it is a sustainable situation for him and J.Lo.

“Ben additionally wants to perceive that whoever he dates he will likely be scrutinized within the public eye. This is likely one of the trade-offs of fame.”

In the documentary, the couple admitted they “simply crumbled below the strain” of being a tabloid phenomenon, and it put a strain on their relationship, leading them to call off their 2003 wedding three days before it was supposed to happen.

 “I had a really agency sense of boundaries initially across the press, whereas Jen, I don’t suppose, objected to it the way in which I did. I very a lot did object to it,” Affleck said. “Getting again collectively, I stated, ‘Listen, one of many issues I don’t need is a relationship on social media. And then I spotted it’s not a good factor to ask. It’s type of like, you’re going to marry a ship captain, you need to just like the water. We’re simply two folks with form of completely different approaches, making an attempt to be taught to compromise.”

Ben Affleck holding his arm around Jennifer Lopez on the red carpet

Affleck says in the documentary he is “making an attempt to be taught to compromise” when it comes to his feelings about social media in his relationship with Lopez. (Christopher Polk/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images)

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Affleck’s own relationship with publicity has definitely shifted in recent years.

The “Good Will Hunting” star became a recurring meme whenever he popped up in paparazzi photos, often looking grim and a tad miserable, peaking with his apparent bored expression at the Grammys in 2023. 

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Grammys

Affleck went viral for his grim expression during the 2023 Grammys. (Johnny Nunez)

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During the documentary, Jane Fonda asked Lopez about the image, and Lopez reassured Fonda and viewers that nothing was wrong at the event.

Lopez laughs it off and said Affleck had joked, “‘I’ve develop into the image of the beleaguered man.’” 

Affleck was also often seen carrying Dunkin’ iced coffee, prompting fans to joke about the Oscar winner being a spokesperson for the brand.

That joke became reality in 2023 with Affleck directing and starring in a Super Bowl ad for the company, with Lopez making an appearance.

Ben Affleck at Dunkin' Donuts

Affleck has been a fan of Dunkin’ since he was a kid growing up in Massachusetts.  (Getty Images)

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He followed that up this year with a star-studded Dunkin’ ad for the Super Bowl, recruiting not only Lopez, but his longtime pal Matt Damon and NFL legend Tom Brady.

“This is an excellent juxtaposition, which was actually introduced dwelling, when Affleck doubled down on his Boston roots within the Dunkin’ advert with Damon and Brady,” Doug Eldridge of Achilles PR told Fox News Digital.

“Whether the persona is genuine or artistically created, it really works and to nice success. Affleck’s bona fides communicate for themselves, however whenever you attain a sure degree, nothing endears you to your core followers — a lot much less, wins over your most ardent critics — like having the ability to poke enjoyable at your self. While this wasn’t cringe-worthy self-deprecation, Affleck completely threaded the needle within the Dunkin’ spots, and in so doing, gave a quiet wink to the critics within the low-cost seats. It was a superb model transfer in all respects.”

Conti agreed, saying, “He is now ‘in on the joke,’ and parlayed his paparazzi footage together with his Dunkin’ to changing into an precise Dunkin’ spokesperson with a large Super Bowl advert. It’s nearly like one thing clicked for him, and he’s now embracing his fame as an alternative of feeling disgrace for it.”

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck pose in an all-black outfits for the Ralph Lauren Spring 2023 runway show

Affleck and Lopez are collaborating again on an upcoming biopic about wrestler Anthony Robles.  (Michael Buckner/WWD)

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Lopez and Affleck’s recent collaborations include not only Dunkin’ ads and the documentary and musical film and documentary, but also an upcoming film about wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg.

Affleck is remaining behind the camera as a producer with Damon, while Lopez will play a role in the film.

He told CBS News last year he was looking forward to the collaboration between himself, Lopez and Damon, saying, “What enjoyable, what a pleasure to do one thing along with her, see her be nice, go to work together with your spouse, go to work together with your finest buddy.”

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“Because in the end, like, your work turns into the lion’s share of what defines your life, by way of the time you spend. And should you don’t love who you are working with, and in case you have problem or bother at work, I feel it is one of many issues that may actually trigger despair, nervousness and ache for folks.”

The couple had beforehand collaborated on the movie “Gigli,” where they met on set in 2002, and the music video for Lopez’s song “Jenny From the Block,” both of which faced backlash at the height of their “Bennifer” period.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez posing togehter on the red carpet

Affleck and Lopez are using the public attention to put the focus on their work instead of their relationship, according to Doug Eldridge of Achilles PR.  (John Salangsang/Variety via Getty Images)

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But this time, the teaming up of Affleck and Lopez seems to be moving in a different direction, with the focus more on the actual work each star is doing instead of their relationship.

“We get it, you are a star couple, every of whom has a resume longer than a CVS receipt. But the urge for food for repetitive celeb gossip has a sure shelf life, very like the milk behind your fridge,” Eldridge said.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez at the premiere of "This Is Me...Now"

In celebrity matchmaker Alessandra Conti’s opinion, the couple has “matured” since their first time as a couple in the early 2000s. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

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Conti also explained that “statistically, 60% of second marriages finish in divorce, in accordance to the Gottman Institute, so the statistics will not be on their facet.”

“J.Lo and Ben have undoubtedly matured since their first go-around within the early 2000s,” Conti said. “Maturity brings an elevated self-awareness, emotional stability, together with a significantly better understanding of what one desires and desires in a relationship. The pair has grown individually and have a greater understanding of what went unsuitable of their previous relationship, which can completely create a extra strong floor for a profitable relationship this time round.

“The keys to their relationship lasting is if they can effectively communicate, support each other physically and emotionally and navigate challenges as a team.”

“The Greatest Love Story Never Told” and “This is Me…Now: A Love Story” are each out there on Amazon Prime, and the album, “This is Me…Now,” is obtainable to stream and buy.

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