Ben Affleck admitted to compromising in his relationship with Jennifer Lopez just months before rumors started swirling that their marriage is on the rocks.
In the singer’s documentary “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” the “Argo” star reflected on the changes he had to make to ensure the couple would not face the same issues they did in the early 2000s when they were first engaged.
“When Jen and I broke up before, the catalyst for that was the amount of scrutiny around our private life,” Affleck said in the Amazon Prime Video film, which premiered in February. “I had a very firm sense of boundaries, initially, around the press.”
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The Oscar winner, 51, blamed the media for the pair calling off their 2004 wedding, so when they rekindled their romance in 2021, he asked Lopez if they could handle the limelight differently.
“Getting back together, I said, ‘Listen, one of the things I don’t want is a relationship on social media,'” he recalled. “And then I sort of realized it’s not a fair thing to ask. It’s sort of like you’re gonna marry a boat captain and [say] like, ‘Well, I don’t like the water.'”
He added, “We’re just two people with different approaches, trying to learn to compromise.”
Elsewhere in the documentary, Affleck admitted he had hesitations about being in Lopez’s fictional companion film, “This Is Me…Now: A Love Story,” but was ultimately glad to be a part of it.
“I don’t really love being in the making-of documentary about my personal life, which is why I’m so relieved,” he said.
“It seems like I might be in this [movie], but I’m not really. … I was worried 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–king harder to find than Prince Charming.”
Affleck’s on-camera admission resurfaced this week after reports that he and Lopez, 54, are headed for divorce.
The actor and the pop star reportedly have been living in separate houses, and she recently fueled split rumors by “liking” an Instagram post describing the qualities of an unhealthy relationship.
The post stated that “you cannot build a healthy relationship with somebody” who “lacks integrity and emotional safety” and “communication skills,” “doesn’t respect your time” and does not have a strong sense of self.
Notably, Affleck also did not attend the 2024 Met Gala with his wife, a co-chair of the event, earlier this month.
A source close to the pair claimed Thursday that they are “having issues in their marriage.”
“They started having issues a few months ago as Jen had started ramping up work commitments and prepping for her tour,” the insider told Us Weekly.
“They are on two completely different pages most of the time,” the source continued, reiterating that Lopez “is very focused on work” at the moment.
Another insider told InTouch Weekly that the “Gigli” co-stars are trying to work through their issues in couples therapy.
“Ben believes in therapy, to a point, and is willing to be a good sport about participating with an open mind, even though he hates the whole humiliating process,” the source claimed.
“He’s never going to gauge the success of this marriage by what happens in the therapist’s office. He also has a higher tolerance for conflict and having to fight to get his way than the average guy.”
Affleck and Lopez blended their families after tying the knot in July 2022.
The “Gone Girl” star shares daughters Violet, 18, and Seraphina, 15, and son Samuel, 12, with his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, while the “Selena” star has twins, Max and Emme, 16, with her ex-husband Marc Anthony.
