Ben Affleck doesn’t look back fondly at the frenzy surrounding his romance with Jennifer Lopez. The actor recently bashed his Bennifer days and blames the intense media coverage for his past career failures in Hollywood.
According to the New York Daily News , Affleck believes his 2002 box office flop Gigli was made worse because of his romance with JLo . Although he admits the movie was bad, he contends that everyone would have forgotten about it if it hadn’t been for Lopez.
“It could have been a bad movie no one cared about. Angelina Jolie had a bad movie that year and no one cared,” he shared, referencing Jolie’s Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life . “But it was because I was dating Jennifer Lopez that made it a big f**king deal. So not only was it just a bad movie, but the ‘they dated each other.’”
Affleck and Lopez met while working together on the romantic comedy. Their romance heated up shortly after, and they eventually got engaged. Despite the movie flop, they continued dating but parted ways in 2004.
Lopez went on to marry Marc Anthony. They separated after seven years together, and she went on to date Casper Smart. For his part, Affleck was married to Jennifer Garner for a little over a decade before calling it quits in 2015. Affleck and Garner had three children together — Violet (11), Seraphina (7), and Samuel (4).
Despite Affleck’s divorce, OK! Magazine reports that he isn’t giving up on his marriage just yet. It’s already been close to two years since the couple announced the split, and they still haven’t finalized the divorce. In a recent interview, the actor couldn’t help but gush about Garner’s parenting skills.
“She’s the greatest mom in the world,” he admitted.
Affleck and Garner have been co-parenting their three kids ever since the break-up. Last month, the Batman v Superman star praised Garner for all the effort she puts in as the mother of his children.
“She’s a superhero mom,” he said. “She is an amazing mother and I’m really lucky to have her as a partner to co-parent these kids with.”
The couple has been spotted on numerous occasions in public. Based on the time they spend together and Ben Affleck’s comments, it sounds like he is trying his best to win Garner back and salvage the marriage.
“He’s determined to win her back and is prepared to play a slow and steady game to make it happen,” a source shared. “And it still isn’t over!”
Indeed, Affleck has proven time and time again that his family is his greatest priority. In fact, in a recent interview with People , the actor revealed that his children are his greatest achievement in life .
“In my career or otherwise, it is the birth of my children,” Affleck explained. “The entrance of my children into the world. It’s a joy to hang out with them. I think the meaning of life is to make good people.”
Affleck’s comments came during the promotion of his new movie, Live By Night . Affleck directed and starred in the film, which he described as a “love letter to the ’30s and ’40s gangster movies.” He also called the project “the most formal presented movie I ever made.”
Since the Gigli days, Affleck has built an impressive career in Hollywood. This includes his award-winning work on Gone Baby Gone and Argo . He is also reaping the benefits as the newest Batman, a role he credits his son for helping him get.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to be Batman,’ and he was like, ‘Dad, you have to be Batman.’ He’s right. If you can be Batman, you have to be Batman,” Affleck revealed. “He still thinks I really am Batman. He thinks I’m in my Batcave right now. Eventually, he will understand, and it will be a steep therapist’s bill, but I’ll take it.”
Tell us! Do you think that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner will eventually reconcile? Let us know in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]