Ben Affleck Shares Surprising Compliment About Ex Jennifer Lopez Amid Divorce
Jennifer Lopez's talent is unstoppable.
The actress' ex Ben Affleck—from whom she filed for divorce in August—praised her performance in the upcoming film Unstoppable, which he co-produced.
"Unstoppable is a very different movie than this, but in a way, it’s similarly rooted in the passion of really talented artists," Ben said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight published Nov. 3 while promoting Small Things Like These, another film he produced. "Billy Goldenberg and Jennifer and Don Cheadle and Jharrel [Jerome], and Bobby Cannavale, all were really passionate about this film."
The Air actor—speaking alongside his producing partner Matt Damon and actor Cillian Murphy—explained that he thinks the passion for a film's story from the actors can be critical to its success.
"It speaks to a certain kind of thing I guess we're drawn to," he said. "We really believe in the power of storytelling when the people involved in it are deeply connected to the story."
Ben went on to specifically call out his ex's performance in the movie.
"Jennifer's spectacular," he added, before also praising her costars. "We believed in the right people, and Unstoppable is another example of that."
The actor's compliments reflect the former couple's commitment to promote their joint project's success despite what's going on in their personal lives.
In fact, at the film's premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival in September, director William Goldenberg shared that there was no awkwardness among the cast as a result of Ben and Jennifer's split.
"It's always been about the movie, and that's their personal business," he said. "We just kept it about the movie. We just kept her eye on the prize."
And while Ben has yet to comment directly on his divorce, his praise for Jennifer's performance came just a few weeks after she broke her silence on their breakup.
"You have to be complete, if you want something that’s more complete," she said in conversation with Nikki Glaser for an Interview magazine profile published Oct. 9. "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.'"
She added, "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."
Keep reading for more on Ben and Jen's relationship.
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J.Lo filed for divorce Aug. 20, listing the date of separation as Apil 26, according to the filing obtained by TMZ.