(gentle music)
- [Jennifer] You know, you just never know who you're gonna
hit it off with or who that person's gonna be.
And it's usually the most unlikely person
or somebody you thought this will never happen.
And...
You know, life has a funny way of just happening.
(mellow music)
- [Narrator] You can't always get it right the first time.
Just ask Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck.
When the high profile Hollywood Couple first split in 2004,
it seemed like romance.
Fast forward to 2021 and love is given a second chance.
JLo and Ben were the "It Couple" of the early two thousands.
After a whirlwind romance on a movie set,
press fans all around the world were totally obsessed
with the match seemingly made in heaven.
And despite spending almost two decades apart,
they've proved that love always wins.
With a shocking but widely loved reunion in 2022.
Made in Manhattan, married in Vegas,
and living happily ever after in Beverly Hills,.
Bennefer is back and better than ever.
(upbeat music)
(mellow music)
In early 2021, there were rumblings of a reunion
when Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were spotted
secretly visiting each other on numerous occasions,
trying to look casual.
Two decades after one of Hollywood's
most notable love stories began,
it seemed like the former couple
were reigniting their spark.
They eventually went public with their rekindled romance
on Instagram a few months later.
JLo and Affleck had remained supportive of one another
in the years following their split,
always praising each other's achievements.
Then in July, 2021, in an Instagram post,
compiling a ton of images from her 52nd birthday,
JLo ended the collection of cute pics
with a photo of her kissing none other than Ben Affleck,
sending fans into a frenzy.
(mellow urban music)
At the Venice Film Festival In September, 2021,
the duo returned to the red carpet
for the first time since reuniting.
The pair continued to look more loved up than ever
in several more public appearances, hand in hand.
But just how did they both rocket to fame
and where did their romance begin?
So many film stars have attempted to launch a career
in music, and so many hit musicians
have sought further success in the movies.
Yet none of them has ever matched
the monumental achievements of Jennifer Lopez.
Three multimillion selling albums and counting.
several major blockbusters,
Hollywood pay packets breaking the $12 million mark
and a Golden Globe nomination.
Jennifer Lopez is truly an all-encompassing superstar.
- Everything's a challenge. You know what I mean?
From the time I started acting,
I mean, actually when I started dancing first and singing,
that was a challenge to get into the business,
just to break in from living in the Bronx
and not having any connections and not knowing anybody
that was a challenge.
Then breaking into television was a huge challenge.
Getting my first video now, making my first album,
doing my first movie, so it's all to me,
just different things and different goals I have,
and I'm just gonna, you know, keep on trying.
- JLo began singing and dancing
and taking lessons at the age of five.
Her parents were very big on having a strong work ethic.
They wanted them to speak English,
because she grew up in a Spanish family,
but they allowed the kids to go around the house
and do little shows and things like that.
So that's really where JLo made her mark
in the singing and dancing world.
- I was the type of kid who used to cut up my t-shirts
and make a skirt out of a pair of pants,
and because I wanted it to match right.
I mean, that just always been part of who I am.
You know? (chuckles)
- After high school, her parents really wanted her
to go to college.
She went for one semester to Baruch College in Manhattan.
That lasted not very long,
so she moved out of her parents' house,
got an apartment in Manhattan,
and that's where she started getting roles in musicals
like "Oklahoma" and things like that.
And she even went to Japan where she danced in a show.
- [Narrator] She began auditioning for dance roles
and was eventually selected as a dancer
for various music videos.
She scored her biggest break as a backing dancer
in Janet Jackson's "That's the Way Love Goes" video in 1993.
she was also selected as a backup dancer
for New Kids On The Block.
- In 1993, Jennifer Lopez had been a backup dancer
for Janet Jackson.
And when Janet asked her to go on a longer extended tour,
Lopez said no because she wanted to focus on her own thing
and being taken seriously as a performer, actress,
and singer in her own right.
- [Narrator] She managed to land a role alongside Hollywood,
A-listers, Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson,
in the movie "Money Train".
After the success of "Money Train",
she acted alongside Robin Williams
in Francis Ford Coppola's comedy drama, "Jack".
Propelling herself further up the A-list ladder.
1997 was a big year for JLo, personally and professionally.
First came a Golden Globe nomination for best actress
for her role in the film "Selena".
(Selena singing in Spanish) (crowd cheering)
- I knew of Selena and I had heard her music
and was an admirer of hers.
I knew she was doing great things,
but I had never been to a concert or anything.
But it was definitely a role that I felt I could
sink my teeth into.
I mean, it was a good role.
They don't come along like this every day. So...
- [Interviewer] Selena was loved by hundreds
of thousands of fans.
Did you feel any pressure when deciding to take this part?
Can you tell us about that? Was there any-
- No, there was no question of whether or not
I was gonna take it.
If they were gonna give it to me, I was gonna do it.
(chuckles) But of course there was a lot of pressure
with whoever would've gotten it,
because she was so beloved and because it was a huge job.
There was a lot to do.
She was very fresh in the public's mind,
they remembered her.
How do you do it without impersonating,
trying to impersonate her or being a caricature, you know,
you don't want to do any of that.
You want to be a real person. And...
That was the hard part.
- [Interviewer] Right. The first scene.
I mean, I know I trembled in my seat.
I mean, it was amazing.
- Yeah. - How did that feel?
The fans just chanting "Selena, Selena, Selena."
You coming into the Eastern Astrodome.
Tell us about that.
- It was wonderful because when I first came out,
I didn't know how the fans were gonna accept me.
And when I did come out, they were yelling "Selena",
and they were yelling "Jennifer",
which made me feel very at home.
And that they did accept me in the role,
and they were there to be supportive and positive.
So that was a great feeling.
And the way you feel when you watched that first scene,
if you just multiply that by like 10,000,
that's how I felt when I walked in there and then got off.
And when I walked up the stairs
and they turned the lights down, you know,
that was all one take, and I got off there.
It was pretty amazing.
- [Narrator] Steven Soderbergh's film "Out of Sight",
in 1998, truly highlighted JLO's potential.
Starring alongside George Clooney, the film's success
saw both stars suddenly being taken seriously.
- [Interviewer] Karen Cisco, she's a tough girl,
but has endearing qualities about her, which I enjoyed.
Is that what attracted you to the role of Karen?
- Yeah, I just think that it was a very good role,
a strong woman's role.
I'm not saying strong in the fact that's what
her character was, but strong in the fact that
she's part of the story here, you know what I mean?
It's not just window dressing.
And very appealing, of course,
when you come across the role like that.
- [Interviewer] Now your character and George Clooney's
character are almost the different sides of the same coin.
One kind of shows a different path
and you're kind of the good path.
Act like that a little bit.
- Yeah. You know, it's like...
That's one of the good things about the script.
It's very gray. It's not black or white.
It's like, good guys are bad guys
and bad guys are good guys, and you know,
someone's doing the right thing and somebody's not
doing the right thing and the good guy
kind of does something wrong.
You know what I mean? And that's how real life is.
And I think that's what makes this so interesting,
is that you understand why these characters
are doing what they're doing, and you could see yourself,
you can relate, you can put yourself in their shoes
and go, "Okay, I might have done the same thing."
- [Narrator] Her debut album "On the 6"
was released in June, 1999 and made the top 10
on the US charts.
- I would describe it as kind of like a Latin soul.
It's kind of pop, but it's kind of like who I am.
I grew up in New York, I'm Puerto Rican, so it's urban,
but it definitely has a Latin influence and it's dance music
and it's all those things.
It's a hybrid of all of that kind of stuff.
You'll understand when you hear it. (chuckles)
- [Narrator] JLO's winning streak was evident
with the album earning a Grammy nomination
for best dance recording and two nominations
at the Latin Grammy Awards also.
JLO's debut single, "If You Had My Love",
was released in May, 1999.
Prior to the debut of her music, critics wondered why
she would take the risk of launching a music career
when she was already an established movie star.
- "If You Had My Love" was released in May, 1999,
and she created a record alongside Britney Spears,
but they both topped the charts with their debut single,
and that doesn't normally happen.
You usually have to wait a little while or pay some dues,
but that song did extremely well.
A lot of music critics though,
were a little skeptical about her music career
because they didn't understand why this big actress
wanted to do music.
That was kind of unheard of at the time,
but she proved them wrong.
♪ If you had my love and I gave you all my trust ♪
♪ Would you comfort me ♪
♪ Tell me baby ♪
♪ And if somehow you knew that your love would ♪
- [Narrator] In 2001 while recording her second album,
"J.Lo", she decided to tweak her image
as she began to develop into a sex symbol.
She changed her stage name to J.Lo,
a nickname given to her by the fans.
The album was a commercial success,
debuting at number one on the United States Billboard 200.
It featured the hit single "Love Don't Cost A Thing".
- So in the video, "My Love Don't Cost A Thing",
great to see this fun beach atmosphere.
It's sexy and it has that famous image of her taking her
top off at the end and throwing it towards the camera.
And we also get a glimpse of her second husband, Chris Judd,
he's her backup dancer in this video.
♪ Think I'm gonna spend your cash, I won't ♪
♪ Even if you were broke my love don't cost a thing ♪
♪ Think I wanna drive your Benz, I don't ♪
♪ If I wanna floss I got my own ♪
♪ Even if you were broke my love don't cost a thing ♪
- [Narrator] It was in 2001 when JLo met backing dancer,
Chris Judd, while filming the video to her single
"Love Don't Cost A Thing", and the two married in late 2001.
However, in true show biz fashion,
the marriage lasted only a few months.
And by 2003, the two were divorced.
But true love was just around the corner.
In 2002, JLo met Hollywood actor Ben Affleck
on the set of the film "Gigli" and love soon blossomed.
At the time, JLo was still married to her second husband
and she and Affleck went public with their relationship
soon after her divorce from Judd.
The relationship spawned publicity off the scale
with the pair being renamed Bennefer
and Affleck even appearing in her music video
for the single "Jenny from The Block",
which was taken from her third studio album.
"This Is Me... Then".
- So her third studio album, "This Is Me...Then"
had a lot of love songs that were dedicated
to her fiance, Ben Affleck.
Now the two had become engaged.
This was the famous engagement where he gave her
a huge pink diamond, and that became all the rage.
Everyone wanted pink diamonds for their engagement.
But it also was the start of Bennefer.
And it's one of the first times we saw celebrity names
become a hybrid name together.
The paparazzi followed them everywhere.
Every single moment of their engagement
of their life was chronicled.
And this is where we saw kind of a...
I dunno, a cleaned up Ben Affleck.
He started wearing Gucci and all of Armani
and being really dressed up and slicked back hair,
a very different Ben Affleck than we're used to.
- JLo has so many great songs.
I mean, some of them are, are not as great as others,
but they're all fun.
Of course, the classic that will always be an anthem
is "Jenny From The Block".
And that is such an awesome song.
So it shows her with these furs and nice cars
and like the personal assistant,
and yet she's just like totally gritty, totally street.
It just shows you can have all these fabulous things,
but you can still honestly never forget where you came from
and what your roots are.
- "Jenny From The Block" really chronicles the love story
between Ben Affleck and JLo.
She's just saying I'm a regular girl,
but they're showing all these images of them
out on the ocean in this big fancy boat or in hotel rooms
and the paparazzi chasing them.
♪ Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got ♪
♪ I'm still, I'm still Jenny from the block ♪
♪ Used to have a little now I have a lot ♪
♪ No matter where I go I know where I came from, the Bronx ♪
♪ Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got ♪
♪ I'm still, I'm still Jenny from the block ♪
♪ Used to have a little now I have a lot ♪
♪ No matter where I go I know where I came from ♪
♪ The Bronx ♪
- [Narrator] Ben Affleck started acting professionally
throughout his childhood,
but his first real spotlight role was a high school bully
in Richard Linklater's cult classic,
"Dazed and Confused" in 1993.
This projected him into the industry,
and his first starring role came two years later in 1995
as an aimless art student in the college drama "Glory Daze".
A lead role in the romantic comedy "Chasing Amy" in 1997
would become Ben Affleck's breakthrough,
gaining him a lot of praise from critics.
Also, in 1997, Affleck co-wrote and acted
in "Goodwill Hunting" alongside Matt Damon.
The screenplay originated in 1992
when Damon wrote a 40 page script for a playwriting class
at Harvard University.
Affleck and Damon eventually won both the Golden Globe
and the Academy Award for best original screenplay.
- We've never taken ourselves very seriously
or considered ourselves...
You know, we know so many writers, so many people
whose work we admire and whose work we respect.
And I think it's real difficult
to not feel like an imposter.
We sort of feel like the Milli Vanilli of screenwriting,
so we're trying to let it soak in a little bit.
- I think more than anything that
it was an exercise in frustration because,
whether or not it actually comes to fruition,
I think the act of sitting down and kind of taking control
of your own life, the problem with being an actor is that,
which means most of the time you're not gonna be working,
and you're gonna be trying to be working.
And it's really, really difficult
to feel like you own your own life.
And so just the act of sitting down writing
was something we could kind of do on our own time
and feel like we were.
There was an outlet for this kind of creative energy
that we felt like we had, but nobody really want-
- And we never would've thought really that it was possible.
I mean, even 15 years ago, you didn't think of
independent movies as something that you could do.
So Matt and I thought that we could really make the movie
by just raising a little bit of money and making it
because guys like Kevin Smith and Rick Linklater
and Spike Lee and all these like, and Quentin Tarantino
and all these great innovators kind of
went out and made monies inexpensively, the Coens,
then you thought, "Oh, well you can make a movie",
and you don't ha, because we never thought that anyone
would buy it or that it would actually go through
the Hollywood sort of channels, much less, you know,
end up winning Academy Awards for God's sake.
- "Armageddon" released in 1998,
established Affleck as a viable leading man
for Hollywood studio films.
"Goodwill Hunting" had not yet been released
during the casting process.
And after Affleck's screen test,
director Michael Bay dismissed him as a geek.
Producer, Jerry Bruckheimer convinced him
that Affleck would be a star, but he had to lose weight,
become tanned, and get his teeth capped
before filming began.
The film where he starred opposite Bruce Willis
as a blue collar driller, tasked by NASA
with stopping an asteroid from colliding with Earth
was a box office success.
- As long as it says Harry Stamper Oil on the rig,
you will not disobey my rules. You got that?
- Yeah, I do got it.
- Right now I need to hear five words from you.
- Uh.
- I'll...
Never do that again. - Never do do that again.
I'm a fool. That was idiotic. I mean, that was stupid.
I'm an idiot. I know what names on the sign.
I'm not, I can't- - What's going on here?
- What's going on? Well, I mean.
You know, I screwed up.
I'm a little edgy. - How long you worked for me?
- Five wonderful years.
- In five years you have never apologized to me
this quickly.
Something's going on here. I'm gonna find out what it is.
- No, no, no, no.
Well, I'm turning over-
(mellow music)
- [Narrator] Later, in 1998, Affleck had a supporting role
as an arrogant English actor in the period romantic comedy,
"Shakespeare In Love".
Starring his then girlfriend, Gwyneth Paltro.
"Shakespeare In Love" won seven Academy Awards,
including Best Picture,
while the cast won the Screen Actor's Guild Award
for outstanding performance by a cast.
(mellow music)
Affleck reunited with director Michael Bay
for the critically derided
war drama "Pearl Harbor" in 2001.
A.O. Scott of the New York Times felt Affleck
and Kate Beckinsale do what they can with their lines
and glow with the satiny shine of real movie stars.
(mellow music)
Ben Affleck became more involved with television
and film production in the early 2000's.
He and Damon had set up Pearl Street Films in 1998,
named after the street that ran between
their childhood homes.
While Affleck had been a tabloid figure
for much of his career,
he was the subject of increased media attention in 2003,
because of his relationship with Jennifer Lopez.
By the end of the year, Affleck had become,
in the words of GQ, "the world's most overexposed actor".
JLo and Ben Affleck got engaged in November of 2002,
with Affleck giving her a $2.5 million,
6.1 carat, pink diamond ring.
- She's had great success in the music industry,
but her film career was not going well,
especially the film "Gigli",
which she starred in with Ben Affleck, her fiance.
The movie cost about $54 million to produce
it only earned $7 million worldwide.
Huge bomb, huge stinker for both of them.
But they also had another film coming out,
which came out early in 2004
and it was called "Jersey Girl".
Now JLo only had a small role, and in fact,
here's a spoiler, she dies at the beginning,
but the film costs about $35 million to make
and only made 36 million worldwide.
So everyone was saying, stop making movies together
'cause these are terrible, terrible movies
and you guys don't look good on screen together.
- [Narrator] Just days before the wedding,
the couple made a joint statement announcing
the postponement of their wedding
due to excessive media attention.
Unfortunately, this news went from bad to worse,
with the couple announcing their split in 2004.
Jennifer Lopez hit the headlines once again in 2004
when she secretly married salsa star, Marc Anthony.
They had briefly dated in the late 1990s
before his first marriage and her second.
- Well, Ben Affleck and JLo did not last.
They broke up in January, 2004.
Very public breakup.
They said it was the paparazzi and all the media coverage
of their relationship but there were other things going on.
People spotted Ben Affleck in strip clubs
and things were going on there and she wasn't happy.
So their marriage never happened.
So in January, she's all brokenhearted and sad
and a friend of hers swoops in to rescue her.
And it's singer, Marc Anthony.
He just helps her with her broken heart.
And before you know it,
she's married and it's only June.
Same year, and she's got her third husband.
- It was about a hot five minutes later
that Jennifer was spotted with Marc.
I literally think she and Ben Affleck broke up
and she got on the next plane to Marc Anthony.
Marc and Jennifer had been friends for a long time.
Their relationship had been platonic and then they had
briefly dated and then it was platonic again.
But Marc, I think, was kind of always in love with her.
I think Marc was the guy who is in the background,
who you know adores you and thinks you're just
God's gift to this earth.
And after Ben Affleck kind of broke her heart,
I think Jennifer was looking for that kind of reassurance
and Marc represented that.
The other thing is, Marc represented Jennifer's roots.
They both speak Spanish.
She sung lots of songs in Spanish. She loves singing.
And I think she connected with Marc
in a way that she wouldn't have done with Ben Affleck.
And Marc felt familiar. Marc felt like home.
Marc felt like he embodied something that was very much
a part of her culture growing up as a Latina.
And Marc and Jennifer seemed to make sense.
So they very quickly got together
and they very quickly got married.
In fact, Marc's divorce was only finalized from Dayanara
like a few days before he actually married Jennifer Lopez.
(mellow urban music)
- [Narrator] After a year away from the music scene.
JLo released her fourth studio album "Rebirth" in 2005.
- For her, this was kind of a fresh start.
She had gone through a rough couple years
with her breakup with Ben Affleck.
The movie career wasn't going well
and she had a new marriage with Marc Anthony.
So I think she just felt like this was
a fresh start for her.
And she didn't have a bunch of love songs
to Ben Affleck on this album.
She just kept a few simple references
to her current husband, but she was really happy
with where the album was.
- [Narrator] Although debuting and peaking at number two
in the U.S. the album quickly fell off the charts.
The album featured the successful single "Get Right".
- In the music video, "Get Right" JLo plays multiple roles.
You'll see her as a bartender,
you'll see her as the go-go dancer.
You even see her as the young working mom, a club goer.
It's just really kind of fun where she just
is playing multiple roles throughout the entire song.
And we do get to see another one of those famous
JLo dance breaks that just,
she kills it right there in the middle of the song.
♪ Right by my side ♪
♪ Take whatever you want baby let's ride ♪
♪ And whatever you won't do, let me decide ♪
♪ Just put your name on the dotted line ♪
♪ I'm about to sign you up we can get right ♪
♪ Before the night is up, we can get right ♪
♪ Get right, oh, oh, get right ♪
- [Narrator] She followed up her discography
with her first full Spanish album,
"Como Ama una Mujer", in 2007.
Husband Marc Anthony produced the album
and it reached the number one spot,
putting JLo back on track
with her previous musical successes.
- For JLo's fifth Studio album, "Como Ama una Mujer".
You know, this was a Spanish language album
and it was the top selling Spanish language album ever.
For that very first week it had extremely strong sales.
The critics weren't as kind though.
'Cause they said, we can really kind of hear
her vocal quality and it's kind of weak and stuff like that.
But that didn't stop the fans from buying the album.
- [Narrator] In 2005, JLo starred alongside Jane Fonda
in the romantic comedy "Monster In-Law".
She received $15 million for her role in the film.
With a production budget of $43 million,
the film went on to gross a total of $115 million worldwide.
- I dunno why people like seeing women fight.
I don't understand it at all myself, but they like that.
No, but me and Jane had a good time.
This what?
- [Reporter] I think it's the hair pulling.
- The hair pulling?
The slapping. - Any advice more for
daughter in-laws, how they should they behave the best?
- Daughter-in-laws? How should they behave the best?
God, just be polite.
Be polite. Act like your mama taught you some manners.
You know what I mean?
- [Reporter] Is this experience any similar to you
dealing with mother-in-law in general?
Any mother-in-law?
- No, thank God.
No.
This is a quite,
hopefully very rare experience for anybody.
Although the person who did write the script,
the first girl, Anya said that she did have
a similar experience and that's why she wrote the script.
So I guess it's out there. I haven't had it though.
I've been lucky.
(mellow music)
- [Narrator] On November 7th, 2007,
during the final night of their co-headlining tour,
JLo and Marc Anthony confirmed
they were expecting their first child.
The announcement ended months of speculation
over the pregnancy.
- Well, it was a shock that I was having twins.
I didn't expect, I didn't even think I was pregnant
to be very honest.
I was like, "Mm, no.
It's hasn't happened for me for so long.
I don't know why it would happen now."
And my husband felt like, "No, you're pregnant.
You're pregnant." - He had a sense, did he?
- Yeah, and we went to the doctor and she checked me
and she was just like, "Oh, you're having twins."
And I was like, "What?" (chuckles)
Of course I am.
Of course I'm having twins.
- [Narrator] JLo gave birth to a son, Maximilian David,
and a daughter, Emme Maribel in Long Island,
New York on February 22nd, 2008.
- Well, it's funny because you know,
they are not growing up the way I grew up.
It's a very different (chuckles) kind of existence for them.
I grew up in the Bronx, both my parents worked
their butts off and me and Marc work our butts off too.
But you know, we have a little bit more than they had.
A lot more than we had when we were growing up.
And so my kids have a different perspective
and I realize that.
They're gonna have a different perspective on life.
And I think one of the most important things to teach them
is that they need to make their own way.
They have to work very hard and they have to care
about the world around them.
And I hope by doing things like this,
that they'll remember from a very young age that that
was something that was always very important to Marc and I.
- [Narrator] In April, 2010,
JLo starred in the romantic comedy, "The Backup Plan",
her first film role in over three years.
- I didn't see you. - I saw you see me.
- Forget it. I'll get out.
But not because you're right,
but because I'm in a terrific mood and you're ruining it.
- Who's that guy?
He's hot.
- Hi. Did you follow me?
- Follow you?
(RnB music)
Okay, now this is getting weird.
- I know we keep running into each other. It's crazy.
What are you doing tonight?
- You gonna see him again?
- Think so.
I'll call you. - I'll wait by-
- [Narrator] Having received a modest $77 million worldwide,
the film received mediocre reviews.
- I had a lot of fun with this movie.
You know, I love comedy.
You can have a lot of fun on a set,
when you're doing a comedy every day.
And working for Alex is amazing,
he was a lot of fun to play with.
- [Reporter] And the film's called "The Backup Plan".
- Yes. - Obviously you are
a businesswoman, entrepreneur, singer, actress.
Did you have a backup plan?
- I really didn't. I really didn't.
I don't think you can in this business.
If you wanna be in this business,
it's so competitive that you have to really be focused
and you can't have like, oh, I'll fall back
on this or whatever. You can't.
You just have to go,
"No, this is what I'm gonna do."
- [Narrator] And how much of the character was you
just actually being yourself and remembering being pregnant
and how much of it was acting?
- It was acting. It was acting.
(JLo laughing) - It was all acting.
- No, it wasn't me being myself.
I think Zoe and I are very different in many ways.
She was kind of a loner. I'm so not a loner. (chuckles)
I love being around my family and friends and stuff.
And she was also emotionally very different than I was.
But it was fun.
- [Reporter] And how has having children,
how has it changed your life?
- Oh God. I mean, it just changes you as a person.
You know? Your whole perspective on life is different
because now your heart has opened up in a way
that you never knew it could.
And it just changes you, changes you.
I mean, there's a scene in the movie,
a couple scenes where I was like eating and pigging out.
They didn't put 'em in in the first cut.
And I was like, "Listen you guys,
this is very important for women.
They need to see me pigging out,
this is what happens when you're pregnant."
You get really sleepy, you get really hungry, you have gas,
okay, it's all right.
They're gonna laugh, trust me.
So yeah, we were very, me and the writer who's also a woman
and had just gotten through her own pregnancy,
we were very adamant about those things.
- [Reporter] And obviously Zoe in the end,
she can have it all.
She can have the family and the man and work.
I mean, how do you balance work
and looking after your children?
- I mean it's a tough balancing act.
It really is.
I wouldn't say that my life is easier, it's harder now,
but it's just, it's better.
Life is just more beautiful now.
- [Reporter] And you say you love making comedy.
What was the most fun scene in this?
- The most fun scene was probably the water birth scene.
And I don't wanna give too much away, but you'll laugh.
Trust me, you're gonna laugh.
(mellow music)
- [Narrator] In June, 2010, following the departure
of Ellen DeGeneres from "American Idol",
it was reported that Jennifer Lopez was in talks
to join Season 10's judging panel.
During the same time J Lo and Anthony
were being considered for a role on the "X factor"
for their appeal to Latin and international markets.
- When Jennifer Lopez said yes to "American Idol",
she was in her forties, she had had a couple of films
that didn't do that well at the box office.
And I think she saw it as an opportunity
to kind of revitalize her career.
Well, a lot of people didn't think it was going to,
but in fact, Jennifer was completely right about it.
She added so much to the show.
She was the perfect judge who sat alongside
people like Keith Urban.
She has that emotive, emotional quality
where she would tear up when she heard
somebody sing something beautifully.
She was funny. She's naturally funny.
And she was a perfect judge
and she did a fantastic job on the show.
It not only revitalized her career,
but it also revitalized the program.
- [Narrator] After her debut on the show in 2011,
JLo released her comeback single "On The Floor".
- This was a great comeback single for her
'cause she hadn't had that massive success
she had had earlier in the decade.
So for her, this was a great way to remind fans,
I'm an artist and let me show you what I've got.
♪ If you go hard, you gotta get on the floor ♪
♪ If you're a party freak then step on the floor ♪
♪ If you're an animal then tear up the floor ♪
♪ Break a sweat on the floor ♪
♪ Yeah we work on the floor ♪
♪ Don't stop, keep it moving, put your drinks up ♪
♪ Pick your body up and drop it on the floor ♪
♪ Let the rhythm change your world on the floor ♪
- [Narrator] The song topped the charts across the globe
becoming one of the most successful singles of the year.
From 2011 through 2016, JLo graced the "American Idol"
judging table with a positive and supportive attitude
towards contestants.
It was seen as the remaking of her career.
A steady gig that saw her through her divorce
from Marc Anthony.
- You know, after I did "American Idol",
and before that, you're so guarded as an artist,
you don't know how much to give, how much to reveal.
You reveal a little bit through your music,
through the characters you play.
But once I did Idol and I really let people in
to see who I really was as a person,
since then I realized that that has its benefits to it.
It also...
There's nothing wrong with showing your vulnerabilities
and who you really are. And...
I don't know.
I don't regret it.
I always do what feels right in the moment. I follow my gut.
- [Narrator] For months, there had been rumors
circulating in the showbiz world about the impending breakup
of JLo and Anthony.
In 2011, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony
officially announced their split,
with Anthony filing for divorce in April, 2012.
(mellow music)
After a successful few months,
JLo was back to doing what she does best.
She released her eighth studio album, "A.K.A.",
it was released on June 13th, 2014 by Capital Records.
experiencing weak sales.
The album produced three singles,
including "Booty" featuring Pit Bull and Rapper Iggy Azalia.
- In June, 2014, JLo released her latest album, "A.K.A.",
which was based off of all of her travels around the world
from her last tour, really had inspired her.
And she had this fantastic single off the album
with Iggy Azalia called "Booty".
And if you have seen the video,
you know what I'm talking about.
It's a lot of oiled booty.
- [Narrator] "Booty" debuted inside the top 20
in the United States,
making it her second highest debut on the billboard Hot 100
after her infamous single "On The Floor".
Her successful acting roles continued as she starred
in the NBC Crime Drama Series "Shades of Blue"
as Detective Harley Santos,
a single mother and police detective who goes undercover
for the FBI in order to investigate her own squad.
JLo also worked as an executive producer for the show,
which had three successful series
and premiered in January, 2016.
- I think the most fun part of playing Harley
is she's so unlike, she's so much tougher than I am
in real life. (chuckles)
And so steely and so like in control of her emotions,
whereas I really am not, most of the time. (chuckles)
We have similarities, but I think just, you know,
her kind of not care attitude.
I wish I didn't care as much sometimes. (chuckles)
- [Narrator] In May, 2015, Jennifer Lopez announced her
Las Vegas residency concert show,
which commenced on January 20th, 2016.
She signed a three year contract at Planet Hollywood
Zappos Theater, which saw her perform 120 shows.
- It was amazing to see JLO's Residency in Las Vegas
do so well, because in a career that has had so many
amazing highs, it really shows just how powerful
and popular with so many different audiences she is.
And again, it was a triumph
and it was something that I think shows, again,
she's not just this great actress,
but she's an amazing overall entertainer.
- [Narrator] Having a residency in Las Vegas
really solidified Jennifer Lopez as a music sensation.
The residency concluded on September 29th, 2018,
having grossed over $100 million in ticket sales
during its three year run.
- She was so great in Las Vegas,
she did something like 120 shows over three years,
and every single night she put the same hard work
and dedication into making it a fantastic evening.
In my career as a reporter,
I've known lots of people who have either worked with her
or spent time with her, and everyone says the same thing.
She's the hardest working person in showbiz.
She's incredibly disciplined.
I know someone who was in business meetings with her,
where they would literally come in with a certain snack
at a exact time of day because that's when she would eat
her boiled eggs or carrot sticks or whatever it was.
She is so regimented and disciplined about her eating
and her exercise and her work.
She never misses a rehearsal. She never misses a workout.
Her work ethic is the stuff of legends.
I think there's a raw talent and a hard work ethic,
and you cannot fault her for that.
- [Narrator] March, 2017 saw romance bloom once again
for Jennifer Lopez.
She confirmed her relationship with former
professional baseball player, Alex Rodriguez,
posting loved up photos to her Instagram page.
In October of the same year.
The pair made plans to move in together,
proving their relationship was serious.
- The reason she and Arod are such a perfect couple
is that Arod has the same kind of hardworking,
athletic discipline part of his ethos that Jennifer does.
- [Narrator] In April, 2018,
Jennifer Lopez was named one of "Times"
100 most influential people in the world,
proving that she has maintained her popularity
over the years.
With earnings of $47 million between June, 2017
and June, 2018, Forbes listed JLo
as the sixth highest paid woman in music.
In February, 2019 JLo announced that she would embark
on her first concert tour in nearly seven years
to celebrate her upcoming 50th birthday.
Titled "It's My Party",
the International Tour ran from June to August,
grossing an estimated $54.7 million from 38 shows.
- I try to take care of myself.
It's not easy for anybody.
I think as you get older, you think about it
and you go, okay, I wanna maintain a youthful quality.
I wanna be able to run around with my kids.
You know, all of those things.
And you have to work at it.
I do work out and I do try to eat right and, you know.
I don't always want to, but I do.
I force myself at times, and I think that's what it takes.
You have to put in the hard work. Nothing comes easy.
If you see anybody doing something and then you're like,
"Wow, look at that."
It's because they're working hard, for sure.
And not always because they want to. (chuckles)
'Cause I know I don't.
(mellow music)
- [Narrator] The following month,
while on their beach vacation in The Bahamas in March,
Alex Rodriguez asked JLo to marry him.
Naturally, the two documented the engagement on Instagram
where fans are treated to picturesque shots of the proposal
and the stunning diamond ring.
Jennifer Lopez made an impactful return to acting
in the film "Hustlers",
for which she also served as an executive producer
alongside director Lorene Scafaria.
(mellow music)
- The thing about JLo and "Hustlers" is that
she was completely running circles around all of
the other women in the movie with her acting chops.
And it was fascinating because even though she is
20 years older than some of her co-stars,
she seemed as a peer to them.
It wasn't like she was trying to play younger.
It wasn't like she was trying to be the matriarch.
She just was natural.
And that's what I think is so appealing about JLo.
And I think why she got such great acclaim for "Hustlers"
is because she's kind of this ageless enigma.
Like, she's just sexy and cool regardless.
There's a scene at the end of Hustlers where she's
walking down the road and she has like a crop top
and like a puffy coat on.
And you know, my mind is going,
I know she's 50 years old,
but it doesn't look like she's trying to dress young.
It doesn't look like she's trying to be something she's not.
It's just who she is and it works for her.
So it's a really good kind of, as a role model too,
for women, if you're being your authentic self,
you can dress however you want, be whoever you want.
And that's JLo to a t.
- [Narrator] The film is inspired by a true story
following a group of Manhattan strippers
who con wealthy men for their money.
- [Reporter] And especially for a movie like "Hustlers".
- Yeah. - It's all about girl power.
- I know. I mean, you know,
being involved with a movie like this,
producing a movie like this,
starring in a movie like this is like a dream come true.
We all feel so incredibly proud
to have got this movie made and to have so many women
working in the key positions of producer, director, stars.
It's an amazing thing.
And the movie itself, Lorene a fantastic job
and so did everybody, so I'm excited for people to see it.
- [Narrator] JLo's portrayal of a manipulative stripper
garnered acclaim from critics,
with some deeming it the best acting performance
of her career, which was Oscar worthy.
The film also gave JLo her highest opening weekend
at the box office.
She garnered nominations for best supporting actress
at the Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards,
Critics Choice Movie Awards, and Independent Spirit awards.
The success of "Hustlers" was regarded by various
media outlets as a symbolic comeback for Jennifer Lopez.
In September, 2019 it was revealed that Jennifer Lopez
would co headline the Super Bowl 2020 alongside Shakira.
The women made history as the first Latina artists
to headline the Super Bowl halftime show.
- Two Latinas doing this at this time in this country
at this time, it's just very empowering for us and for me,
I'm very proud to be able to help set
and push forth that message.
- [Narrator] The show combined
both singers Best and Beloved hits alongside
an indomitable display of hip shaking and hair flipping.
- When we finished the first run through, you know,
Shakira looked at me, she was like, that was amazing.
And I was like, no, you were amazing.
And I think it was very, she was like,
it's different what we do, and I said, well,
it's very Shakira and it's very Jennifer.
And I think that's what you're gonna get
from the performance.
- Your show and my show feel very different,
but very complementary.
They complement each other.
And I think that we've been working so hard the past weeks
to make sure that everything is as good,
as good as we can feel that it is.
And so everybody can enjoy this Sunday,
enjoy a great show
and we hope that it will be a great show.
(mellow music)
- [Narrator] After his split from JLo,
Ben Affleck also quickly moved on.
He married actress Jennifer Garner in 2005
and the new Hollywood couple welcomed
three children together over the years.
Daughters Violet and Sarafina Affleck
and son Samuel Affleck.
Ben Affleck began his acting career comeback
with his highly acclaimed performance as Superman actor
George Reeves in the noir biopic "Hollywood land".
He was awarded the Volpe Cup at the Venice Film Festival
and was nominated for a Golden Globe
for Best Supporting Actor.
- I was really eager to.
I had a sense that whoever was lucky enough
to play the part would have a, you know,
a real opportunity on their hands 'cause it was pretty rich
in terms of what you're able to do with it.
You know, a lot of movies, you know,
sort of rush past character and stuff and, you know,
have to blast through to keep the plot going,
whereas this really took time to sort of examine the nuances
of the guy and a lot of different sides of him.
So it was nice.
You know, I've had a kind of interesting career
because I've done a lot of different kinds of things
and I've done some stuff that's kind of character
interesting supporting roles like this.
And I've done some sort of larger, more like bloated action,
you know, big movies like that and kind of, you know,
look on balance, these are much more interesting.
You do much better in the pocketbook
doing the other kind of movies.
But it's, you know,
I've seen it kind of from both sides.
That isn't really the way in which I feel like
I've experienced being typecast.
I think typecasting now has more to do with people's
familiarity with you through gossip magazines
and entertainment television shows where they have
a sense of familiarity with actors that sometimes prevents
them from kind of well seeing the actor
as the character they're playing.
I think you do better to stay out of that
as much as you possibly can.
Although that's not something
I've succeeded at doing very well.
- Ben Affleck soon began
on his next directorial project "Argo"
in 2012 for Warner Brothers.
- I just feel so incredibly honored to be nominated
as a producer for this movie, to be here at the big party.
You know, it's tremendous.
I mean, we got seven nominations, including Best Picture.
I'm elated by that.
Truly, genuinely thrilled.
And like I said, there are nine amazing movies,
any of which could win,
any of which would deserve to win if they did.
So I don't get into worrying too much
about who got what and didn't get what.
I mean, you know, I've had many, many,
many, many, many, many years watching from home.
I thought I was excited about making the movie.
These guys had a script. I really liked that.
I called 'em up, said, I got a a take for it, you know,
will you put me on the movie?
And I wanted to do the movie and I wanted to work with them.
That's what I thought would happen.
You know, I wanted to work on something quality.
I did the movie.
We all worked really hard.
I hoped that people would like it.
I didn't take a more meta, you know,
approach to it than that. I was excited to make it.
I was excited to work with these guys, the cast we had.
And, you know, I was willing to let the chips
kind of fall where they may
as long as we thought we had done something
that we were interested in.
- [Narrator] In 2014, he pushed back production
on his own directorial project
to star as a husband accused of murder
in David Fincher's psychological thriller, "Gone Girl".
Fincher cast him partly because he understood
what it felt like to be misrepresented by tabloid media.
Sadly, in 2015, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner
publicly announced their separation in June, 2015,
with Affleck continuing to live in a guest house
at the family home until mid 2017.
They jointly filed for divorce in April, 2017,
seeking joint physical and legal custody of their children.
And it was finalized in October, 2018.
Given Affleck's growing reputation as a filmmaker,
his decision to star as Batman in the 2016 superhero film,
"Batman versus Superman: Dawn of Justice"
was regarded as a bewildering choice.
Although the casting announcement
was met with intense fan backlash, Affleck's performance
ultimately earned a positive reception.
- Breathe it in.
That's fear.
You're not brave.
Men are brave.
- [Narrator] Affleck reprised his role as Batman
later that year, making a brief cameo appearance
in "Suicide Squad" in 2016.
He starred as an autistic accountant in the action thriller,
"The Accountant" in 2016,
which was an unexpected commercial success.
- There was a need to do research around autism
so that we got that right and we wanted to make
a fun movie that people would like
and that was entertaining.
But it had to be rooted in, you know,
in something true that was recognizable to people.
I just got a letter from a friend of mine
whose son's autistic, and he said, you know,
if my son turns out to be an assassin, I'll be thrilled.
So I took that as high praise.
- [Narrator] Ben Affleck's starring role
as a recovering alcoholic in the sports drama
"The Way Back" in 2020 was widely praised.
The themes of the movie were close to home for Affleck.
- Life, you know, ebbs and flows.
There are natural difficulties.
I had this like, kind of,
I don't know what very early success as a very young man
which is difficult to manage, I think at any age,
but particularly when you're young.
And I had some stuff work and some stuff didn't.
And I ran afoul of the press a little bit
and became overexposed causing me to kind of turn around
and question and maybe I was being a little bit hyperbolic
for effect in the speech, but causing me to question like,
what do I wanna do in this industry?
Do I have anything to offer?
what should I be doing? How can I best express myself?
And that was around the time that I took up directing.
And I really viewed this as connected to that decision
because that decision was about,
you know, was really fraught with can I do it?
Can I make it, can I really direct movies and be a director?
And to be at the DGA to be honored with an award by the DGA
is definitely more than I ever imagined
on the first day of shooting of "Gone Baby, Gone".
- [Narrator] After J Lo ended her engagement
to Alex Rodriguez and Ben Affleck
had split from Ana de Armas,
the two were spotted hanging out again in 2021.
However, sources claimed that the pair
being spotted together was purely platonic,
claiming they had never not been friends.
Then after nearly two decades after they first split,
J Lo and Ben Affleck were spotted,
heading off for a week long vacation to Montana.
Following the vacation,
the singer flew out to Los Angeles to spend more time
with her former fiance
determined not to let distance affect their reunion.
The press and their fans were going crazy
over the constantly appearing images of the couple
being spotted together.
Weeks later, Affleck also reportedly took a flight
to J LO's residence in Miami
to spend more cozy quality time with her.
The pair quickly began spending all their free time
together, blending their children into one big family.
Then in April, 2022, in an exclusive video
published in her personal fan newsletter,
JLo announced that she and Affleck had gotten engaged
a year after reuniting.
He proposed to her while she was taking a bubble bath.
The video featured J Lo beaming as she showed off
her new engagement ring, an emerald cut pale green diamond.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck tied the knot in a surprise
Las Vegas wedding at midnight on July 17th, 2022,
the singer confirmed the news in her newsletter "On the Jlo"
saying that a low-key ceremony in a chapel
was exactly what the two wanted.
After their surprise nuptials the pair jetted off to Paris
for a sunny summer holiday and brought along their kids.
They hosted a star studded second private wedding ceremony
in August, 2022,
and embarked on his second honeymoon trip to Italy.
Ahead of the release of her forthcoming album,
"This is Me Now",
and in honor of the 20th anniversary
of her third studio album, "This Is Me Then",
J Lo sat down with Zane Lo for Apple music
to talk about her latest musical venture.
During their conversation,
she opened up about how Affleck inspired her
to get into the recording studio in both instances,
20 years ago and now.
(upbeat music)
♪ Boy ♪
♪ We're gonna get joy together ♪
♪ Let's go ♪
♪ Oh oh oh ♪
- [Narrator] In 2021, Affleck appeared
as a substitute father figure
in George Clooney's coming of Age drama, "The Tender Bar".
- A friend of mine, Clay Duval, who's an actor,
who's in "Argo",
gave me the book a long time ago, a long time ago.
But, and I read it, I really liked it.
And then I didn't even know George was adapting it
and I got an email from him.
It was actually out of the country saying,
Hey, do you wanna come do this?
I was like, this has sort of fell from the heavens.
You know, it's this amazing part.
He kept on touting his multiple Sexiest Man Alive Awards.
He thinks it's an award, but he's really a wonderful guy
and a storyteller at highest order,
and a brilliant director, particularly for actors.
It was like, it was a gift, you know,
he really was so generous in the way he helped me with this.
The performance and the advice he had
and the experience itself was really wonderful.
- [Narrator] For the role Affleck was nominated
for the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award
for Best Supporting Actor.
He also had a supporting role
in Ridley Scott's "The Last Duel".
This same year, J Lo starred opposite Owen Wilson
and Maluma in the romantic comedy "Marry Me",
released in February, 2022.
The film grossed over $50 million at the box office
while becoming the most streamed day and date film
on Peacock and received generally
mixed reviews from critics.
- This is something I know intimately, you know,
a lot of actresses, could play something like this.
But knowing it in the way that I do,
I think really helped me play this role
in a very authentic and real way.
Because in every moment I knew exactly all of the scenes.
Like, this is what is happening here,
this is what it's like.
No, that's not how I would say it.
That's not how it would go.
So I was able to really input on the script in that way
to make every little detail right.
- [Narrator] Since their romantic reunion,
the couple has been publicly supporting
each other's career milestones.
(mellow music)