Once upon a time, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were a major romantic item. But their relationship ended over 17 years ago, and the former celebrity couple hasn’t said much about it since then.
However, InStyle magazine recently asked Affleck to contribute something for their May 2021 issue’s special feature on Jennifer Lopez.
At this point, you might expect Ben Affleck to share some harsh feelings about his former partner. After all, Affleck has had a tumultuous romantic history, and 17 years is a long time for any bad blood between these two to fester.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth; Affleck had nothing but good things to say about Lopez. In the magazine’s cover feature, he first commented on the intense work ethic that Lopez brings to the table.
“I thought I had a good work ethic, but I was completely humbled and blown away by what she was committed to doing day in and day out, the seriousness in which she took her work, the quiet and dedicated way she went about accomplishing her goals, and then how she would go back and redouble her efforts,” he said.
In fact, Affleck seems to view Lopez as an inspirational figure. He told the publication, “She remains, to this day, the hardest-working person I’ve come across in this business.”
Perhaps most graciously, Affleck thinks that the attention and roles Lopez is getting now are long overdue. “She has great talent, but she has also worked very hard for her success,” he said. “I’m so happy for her that she seems, at long last, to be getting the credit she deserves.”
While most of Affleck’s praise concerned her talents and her work ethic, he did chime in on her ageless beauty. He gave the magazine a question he wanted to pose to Lopez: “Where are you keeping the fountain of youth? Why do you look the same as you did in 2003 and it kind of looks like I’m in my 40s… at best?”
Lopez took this question with a great sense of humor. She said that any beauty secrets that she had are packed into her JLo Beauty brand of products. But how does she feel about Affleck’s kind words? “Ben is funny! He still looks pretty good too.”
After all these years, their cute banter is a reminder that breaking up doesn’t have to mean you stop being friends. And all of us could learn some lessons from Affleck about praising our old flames and cheering on their success.
Jennifer Lopez has several film projects in the works, including Marry Me (a romantic comedy co-starring Owen Wilson coming out in time for Valentine’s Day 2022. She is also set to produce and star in The Mother, a Netflix-exclusive action film where she plays a deadly assassin.