Celebrity relationships, oftentimes than not, are required to survive under intense media and public scrutiny—Ben Affleck is one such actor who can attest to this fact. While the rekindled relationship shared currently between the actor and his wife Jennifer Lopez was given what the latter deemed “a second chance”, their initial romance back in the 2000s suffered at the hands of an unstoppable tabloid frenzy.
The constant media gaze did not entail a foreign endeavor for Affleck. Having dated Gwyneth Paltrow “on and off” between 1997 to 2000, the Justice League talent had a rough idea of the treatment that celebrity couples were required to endure. As a result, the actor knew what to anticipate before starting a relationship with Lopez in 2002 and began to wonder how bad things could get this time around.
Turns out, the reality couldn’t have been worse.
Ben Affleck And Gwyneth Paltrow Dated “On And Off”
The relationship shared between Affleck and Paltrow, owing to their popularity, was under unwavering media gaze. However, that was not the reason why they split. In an interview, the Shakespeare in Love actress once revealed that she never expected for her to have something concrete with the Batman star; never expected herself to end up with him. Affirming this point, she once stated, “I just think we have a very different sort of value system,” Gwyneth Paltrow in an interview with Howard Stern also revealed that Ben Affleck, then, was not in a healthy position in his life to have a girlfriend or sustain a relationship. Following was her statement:
“I think [my parents] appreciated how he’s [Ben Affleck] super intelligent and he’s really talented and funny, but he wasn’t in a good place in his life to have a girlfriend. They loved him, but they were OK with us not being together,”
Despite their past affair, the two have maintained cordiality, with the Iron Man alum even stating the following about Ben Affleck to Howard Stern, “I like him. I’m still friends with him.” Years later, at the time of the actor’s rekindling with Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow didn’t shy away from expressing her happiness and support for the couple in an Instagram Q&A session. There is no doubt that the two talents, who formerly enjoyed more than just a friendship, are now satisfied with maintaining mutual respect for one another.
How Ben Affleck’s Relationship With Jennifer Lopez Differed
Following the subsequent end of his relationship with Paltrow, Affleck had grown used to constant public attention, even when it came to personal matters. Talking to SFGATE in 2003, the Gone Girl star believed that his association with Jennifer Lopez would attract a similar treatment. He wasn’t prepared for the fact that this time around, the focus on his private life seemed to have increased tenfold. It simply got worse. Here’s what he stated on the matter:
“I’d been through it before with Gwyneth, and I thought, how bad could it get, how much could they do? Well … I found the answer to that question. And … I wasn’t really prepared.”
This marked a stage in Affleck’s life where he was required to accommodate several modifications to his lifestyle. This he needed to do to sustain his relationship with Jennifer Lopez in the 2000s amidst an environment that guaranteed public attention with each move. Of this, he said:
“In the last four or five months, we’ve made a lot of changes, and it, unfortunately, comes down to: I do hide in the backseat of a car. I do try to elude people as best I can. I try not to end up being in any pictures at all that I don’t want to be in. It is startling and very surreal…”
At the end of the day, Ben Affleck’s efforts to accommodate such lifestyle changes did not end up favoring him. The ceaseless media pressure ultimately became one of the major reasons why Lopez and Affleck initially split in 2004. The renowned singer even stated to PEOPLE in 2016 that the pressure of the tabloid frenzy became too much to handle. Fortunately, fate offered the beloved Hollywood couple a second chance. Both talents revived their romance in 2021. The pair then decided to tie the knot in 2022. Right now, they are both happily married and content to be with one another. Fans can only hope that ruthless media attention does not jeopardize their precious bond again.
Source: SFGATE
