Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Reformation x Alexa Chung
    • Frosted Lips
    • Being Black at Bravo
    • Fall Movies
    • Slouchy Handbags
    1. Celebrity

    Jennifer Lopez Labels Husband Ben Affleck ”The Reluctant Participant” in Her Documentary

    "But I really feel like as an artist, you have to be vulnerable."

    Fleurine Tideman's avatar
    By Fleurine Tideman
    Published 27 February 2024 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez at the Golden Globes
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Jennifer Lopez has no reservations about sharing her love story with Ben Affleck. Whether that's in interviews or her musical autobiographical movie, This Is Me... Now, Lopez has been open about her long road to finding love. So it should come as no surprise that she has an upcoming documentary about her autobiographical movie, The Greatest Love Story Never Told.

    But her husband, Ben Affleck, isn't quite so forward with his personal life. In fact, he initially wanted their relationship to be completely offline.

    So, how does he feel about a documentary that will discuss every aspect of their rekindling, as well as their initial relationship which ended in 2004?

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Lopez said it was "very scary" to share so much of herself with the audience, and "the other scary part was that I was bringing into it my husband, who was kind of the reluctant participant, silent participant and all."

    Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck at the premiere of "This Is Me...Now: A Love Story"

    Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck at the premiere of her new movie.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    This didn't stop her from continuing down this terrifying route and baring her soul for the camera.

    You may like
    • Megan Thee Stallion poses for Marie Claire Megan Thee Stallion Was "Constantly On Edge" Before Her Breakup With Klay Thompson
    • Lili Reinhart wore a vintage Nanette Lepore coat from 13 Going on 30 on the 'Love Hypothesis' press tour Exclusive: How Lili Reinhart Snagged the "Only Copy" of the Iconic '13 Going On 30' Coat'
    • Marie Claire interviews Lili Reinhart's stylist Ib Abdel Nasser after 'The Love Hypothesis' press tour Inside Lili Reinhart's Rom-Com "Fantasy" for 'The Love Hypothesis' Press Tour

    "But I really feel like as an artist, you have to be vulnerable," Lopez explained, "You have to, even when you're playing a role, have to get down to the real parts of yourself to share what it's like to be human. And that is a scary thing to do."

    Despite Affleck being "the reluctant participant" in the documentary, it turns out that he was the mastermind of the entire thing, and even arranged the film crew for it.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    "It wasn't my idea to photograph every single moment of doing this," Lopez admitted, "To be honest, when we started making the film, it just kind of got more and more bizarre and my husband, who had a front seat to the whole thing really, was the one who was like, 'We should be capturing this,' and he brought on this amazing team and that's kind of how it happened."

    Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in 2003

    Even 20 years ago, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck couldn't keep their eyes off each other.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Part of the documentary discusses the couple's breakup in 2004, where they remained separated for almost twenty years. During that time, Affleck married Jennifer Garner and had one daughter, Violet. Lopez married Marc Anthony and had two children, Max and Emme.

    Affleck asks his wife, in a captivating and raw moment in the documentary, if she's forgiven him for ending their engagement in 2004.

    “I think I was angry at you for a long time,” she responds. “But that heartbreak set both of us on a course to figuring ourselves out to being better people. I think I’ve forgiven you all the way. I think I need to forgive myself [for] some things.”

    Explore More
    Ben Affleck Jennifer Lopez Documentary
    Fleurine Tideman
    Fleurine Tideman
    Social Links Navigation
    Freelance Writer

    Fleurine Tideman is a freelance writer who is always ready to discuss celebrities, entertainment, mental health, relationships and anything else her busy brain comes up with. She comes from the small, rainy land of the Netherlands, but she uses the flexibility of her work to travel around Europe and explore new places. She spent several years working in the travel industry, which taught her how to fit insane amounts in her hand luggage. She has a degree in Psychology and Anthropology, which she uses to psychoanalyse herself and others. She’s a regular contributor for Betches, and you can also find her work on Pop Sugar, Insider, Time Out or her own blog, Symptoms of Living. At Marie Claire, she’ll be covering celebrity news, usually written to the sounds of Taylor Swift.

    Read more
    Megan Thee Stallion poses for Marie Claire
    Celebrity Megan Thee Stallion Was "Constantly On Edge" Before Her Breakup With Klay Thompson
    By Iris Goldsztajn
    Lili Reinhart wore a vintage Nanette Lepore coat from 13 Going on 30 on the 'Love Hypothesis' press tour
    Celebrity Style Exclusive: How Lili Reinhart Snagged the "Only Copy" of the Iconic '13 Going On 30' Coat'
    By Meguire Hennes
     
     
    Marie Claire interviews Lili Reinhart's stylist Ib Abdel Nasser after 'The Love Hypothesis' press tour
    Celebrity Style Inside Lili Reinhart's Rom-Com "Fantasy" for 'The Love Hypothesis' Press Tour
    By Meguire Hennes
    Megan Thee Stallion
    Culture Megan Thee Stallion's Reign Check
    By Brittany Spanos
     
     
    Latest in Celebrity
    Prince William and Princess Kate standing in front of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Queen Elizabeth's funeral
    Royals A Source Close to Harry and Meghan Weighs In on “Nonsense” Claims Regarding Their Relationship With William and Kate
    LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York attend the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, 2025 in London, England. Katharine, Duchess of Kent was married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. She died on September 4 at the age of 92 at Kensington Palace surrounded by her family. Having converted to Catholicism in 1994, her funeral takes place at Westminster Cathedral and is the first Catholic funeral to be held for a member of the royal family in modern British history. Her Royal Highness will be laid to rest at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor. (Photo by Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
    Royals Sarah Ferguson Is "Not Welcome" at Former Prince Andrew's New Home
     
     
    Daisy Edgar Jones wore ripped jeans with a white high-collar jacket from Mango for 'Sense and Sensibility'
    Celebrity Style Daisy Edgar-Jones's Mango Jacket Is So 'Sense and Sensibility'-Coded
    Meghan Markle smiling on her wedding day
    Royals Meghan Markle's On-Sale Tatcha Skincare Is Worth the Hype
     
     
    Latest in News
    Prince William and Princess Kate standing in front of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Queen Elizabeth's funeral
    Royals A Source Close to Harry and Meghan Weighs In on “Nonsense” Claims Regarding Their Relationship With William and Kate
    LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York attend the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, 2025 in London, England. Katharine, Duchess of Kent was married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. She died on September 4 at the age of 92 at Kensington Palace surrounded by her family. Having converted to Catholicism in 1994, her funeral takes place at Westminster Cathedral and is the first Catholic funeral to be held for a member of the royal family in modern British history. Her Royal Highness will be laid to rest at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor. (Photo by Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
    Royals Sarah Ferguson Is "Not Welcome" at Former Prince Andrew's New Home
     
     
    Daisy Edgar Jones wore ripped jeans with a white high-collar jacket from Mango for 'Sense and Sensibility'
    Celebrity Style Daisy Edgar-Jones's Mango Jacket Is So 'Sense and Sensibility'-Coded
    Meghan Markle smiling on her wedding day
    Royals Meghan Markle's On-Sale Tatcha Skincare Is Worth the Hype
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.