Jennifer Lopez put her career above all else and admitted she had to “let go of her ego” while working on the upcoming movie Unstoppable alongside estranged husband Ben Affleck.
“It was an honor to be a part of Anthony [Robles] and to play Judy,” Jennifer, 55, said of her role as Judy Robles during an interview with Amazon/MGM. “I approached the role with a complete lack of ego where you have to go in there and have so much respect for the person you are playing because it’s her story.”
The “Jenny From the Block” singer continued, “I disappeared, there was no Jennifer, no J. Lo. That person on the screen is just Judy. Luckily, I got to spend time with her and see who she was alone and as a mother.”
Unstoppable is a film based on wrestler Anthony, 36, produced by Ben, 52, and Matt Damon. Jennifer and Ben, who filed for divorce in August, put their marriage troubles aside to successfully portray the film. In fact, the Deep Water actor praised his estranged wife’s performance in the movie, calling her “spectacular.”
“Unstoppable is a very different movie than [Small Things Like These], but in a way it’s similarly rooted in the passion of really talented artists,” Ben told Entertainment Tonight on November 3, while also dishing on his other project. “[Director] Billy Goldenberg and Jennifer and Don Cheadle and Jharrel and Bobby Cannavale – all of whom were really passionate about this film.”
A reporter asked J. Lo how she felt about Ben’s comments two days later, to which she replied, “I would describe all of the cast and everybody behind the scenes as spectacular and wonderful.”
Bennifer, who first met while starring in Gigli in 2003, may work well together for a project, but the pair have trouble navigating a romantic relationship together. Three months before J. Lo filed for divorce, In Touch excluisvely reported that she and Ben were “headed for a divorce” and living separately.
“He’s focusing on his work and his kids now,” an insider exclusively told In Touch in May. “Ben already moved out and they’ll likely have to sell the dream house they spent two years searching for. They’ll never stop loving each other, but she can’t control him, and he can’t change her. There’s no way it could have lasted.”
Although the A-listers remained tight-lipped about the impending of their marriage, they were seen without their wedding rings on multiple occasions. However, they reunited for big events involving their kids amid their marital issues.
Ben shares children Violet, Fin and Samuel with ex-wife Jennifer Garner. J. Lo, for her part, welcomed twins Emme and Max with ex-husband Marc Anthony.
J. Lo addressed her split from Ben in October, admitting that she doesn’t “regret” the downfall of her marriage for “one second.”
“I was thinking about this time in my life, and I’m like, ‘That’s not what I thought it was going to turn out like.’ And then I thought, ‘No, this is exactly where I needed to be, to lead me to where I want to go,’” the Enough star told comedian Nikki Glaser during an interview for Interview Magazine.
Jennifer later admitted that the breakup almost “took [her] out for good,” but it was a heavy lesson that needed to be learned.
“But now, on the other side of it, I think to myself, ‘F–k, that is exactly what I needed. Thank you, god. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m sorry that you had to do this to me so many times. I should have learned it two or three times ago. I get it. You had to hit me really hard over the head with a f–king sledgehammer. You dropped the house on me. Don’t have to do it again,’” she continued.