Ben Affleck was full of praise for Jennifer Lopez in new movie Unstoppable despite their ongoing divorce.
The new flick, which is due for theatrical release worldwide on December 6 before heading to streaming via Prime Video on January 16, tells the true life story of Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg, but manages to overcome his disability and win a spot on the Arizona State Wrestling team.
Lopez, 55, plays Roble’s mother and biggest cheerleader, Judy.
Affleck, 52, serves as a producer on the film alongside long-time friend Matt Damon, 54, through their production company Artists Equity.
In a sit-down interview with E! Entertainment, the pair were asked how it compared to their other current project Small Things Like These, starring Cillian Murphy.
Affleck responded: “Unstoppable is a very different movie than this but in a way it’s similarly rooted in the passion of really talented artists. [Director] Billy Goldenberg and Jennifer [Lopez] and Don Cheadle and Jharrel [Jerome], and Bobby Cannavale, all were really passionate about this film.”
Elaborating on his ex’s contribution to the film, he noted: “Jennifer is spectacular”.
Affleck continued, “[Unstoppable is] another one that we’re really really proud of. We believed in the right people [in Small Things Like These] and Unstoppable is another example of that.”
They are currently in the process of formally parting ways after Lopez filed to divorce Affleck on August 20 after two years of marriage.
Lopez and Affleck initially dated in the early 2000s after meeting on the set of their first movie together, Gigli, which was released in 2003. They teamed up again in 2004 for the flick Jersey Girl. Bennifer, as they were often called, came to an end not long after they called off their wedding in 2003. The relationship was rekindled in 2021 before marrying in Las Vegas in 2022.
In-between that time, Affleck went on to marry actress Jennifer Garner, with whom he shares three children – Violet Anne, 18, Fin, 14, and Samuel, 12.
Lopez meanwhile has 16-year-old twins Emme and Max with ex Marc Anthony.
Appearing on the front cover of Interview magazine to mark the publication’s 55th anniversary, Lopez did not name Affleck directly, but said she now needed to learn to be on her own.
She said: “You have to be healthy. You have to be complete, if you want something that’s more complete. You have to be good on your own. I thought I learned that, but I didn’t. And then, this summer, I had to be like, “I need to go off and be on my own. I want to prove to myself that I can do that.
“It feels lonely, unfamiliar, scary. It feels sad. It feels desperate,” the Can’t Get Enough hit-maker continued. “But when you sit in those feelings and go, ‘These things are not going to kill me,’ it’s like actually, I am capable of joy and happiness all by myself. Being in a relationship doesn’t define me. I can’t be looking for happiness in other people. I have to have happiness within myself. I used to say I’m a happy person, but was still looking for something for somebody else to fill, and it’s just like, ‘No, I’m actually good’.”
While the Jenny From the Block hit-maker admitted the split was “f***ing hard,” she is adamant that she has “not one second” of regrets about how things played out and she is not currently looking to date anyone else.
