Jennifer Lopez recently released a documentary and album inspired by love letters written to her by Ben Affleck.
While supportive of Lopez’s art, Affleck was initially hesitant about the public nature of sharing their private relationship.
Affleck said, “Jen was really inspired by this experience, which is how artists do their work.”
“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,” he continued.
“So, this was something of an adjustment for me,” he confessed.
Lopez said, “The other scary part was that I was bringing into it my husband, who was kind of the reluctant participant, silent participant and all.”
“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,” recalled the entertainer.
The documentary follows Lopez’s process with Affleck reluctantly participating.
Affleck acknowledged discomfort with fame but realized the project focused on Lopez’s self-expression rather than their relationship.
Affleck has since embraced his fame through collaborations with Lopez, like Dunkin’ commercials that parody his image.
Lopez claimed, “It wasn’t my idea to photograph every single moment of doing this.”
She explained, “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.”
Affleck said, “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.”
He added, “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 [expletive] harder to find than prince charming.”
Lopez and Affleck are collaborating creatively again on projects like an upcoming biopic, with Affleck citing the joy of working with his wife.
Celebrity matchmaker Alessandra Conti said, “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 said, “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.”
Conti added, “Ben also needs to understand that whoever he dates he will be scrutinized in the public eye. This is one of the trade-offs of fame.”
Affleck said, “I had a very firm sense of boundaries initially around the press, while Jen, I don’t think, objected to it the way I did. I very much did object to it.”
He warned Lopez, “Getting back together, I said, ‘Listen, one of the things I don’t want is a relationship on social media. And then I realized it’s not a fair thing to ask. It’s sort of like, you’re going to marry a boat captain, you want to like the water. We’re just two people with kind of different approaches, trying to learn to compromise.”
Experts note Affleck has matured in handling publicity since the intense scrutiny of their relationship in the early 2000s, and both stars’ focus now seems to be on their creative work rather than celebrity.
Conti said, “J.Lo and Ben have undoubtedly matured since their first go-around in the early 2000s.”
She explained, “Maturity brings an increased self-awareness, emotional stability, along with a much better understanding of what one wants and needs in a relationship. The pair has grown individually and have a better understanding of what went wrong in their past relationship, which will absolutely create a more solid ground for a successful relationship this time around.
The matchmaker added, “The keys to their relationship lasting is if they can effectively communicate, support each other physically and emotionally and navigate challenges as a team.”