Ben Affleck has offered praise for his estranged wife Jennifer Lopez‘s performance in their upcoming film Unstoppable, which their company produced. While promoting his latest release, Small Things Like These with Matt Damon, Affleck commended the project starring Lopez, Don Cheadle and Jharrel Jerome.
“Unstoppable is a very different movie than this, but in a way, it’s similarly rooted in the passion of really talented artists,” Affleck told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published Nov. 3. “It speaks to a certain kind of thing I guess we’re drawn to. We really believe in the power of storytelling when the people involved in it are deeply connected to the story.” He added, “Jennifer’s spectacular,” while also acknowledging director William Goldenberg and costars Cheadle, Jerome, and Bobby Cannavale. “We believed in the right people, and Unstoppable is another one that we’re really, really proud of.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Lopez returned the professional courtesy during the film’s UK premiere on Nov. 5, extending the praise to the entire production. “I would describe all of the cast and everybody behind the scenes as spectacular and wonderful,” she remarked.
The biographical film features Jerome as Anthony Robles, a wrestler born with one leg, while Lopez portrays his mother, Judy Robles. Cannavale plays Rick Robles, while Michael Peรฑa and Cheadle portray coaches Bobby Williams and Shawn Charles, respectively. Following its September debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, the movie is scheduled for a January release on Prime Video.
Director William Goldenberg addressed working with the separated couple, telling E! News in September: “It’s always been about the movie and that’s their personal business. We just kept it about the movie. We just kept her eye on the prize.”
The comments emerged following Lopez’s divorce filing in August, which coincided with their Georgia wedding ceremony’s second anniversary. Recently, the 55-year-old singer discussed her post-separation journey in Interview magazine with comedian Nikki Glaser, describing how she’s confronting solitude: “It feels lonely, unfamiliar, scary,” she admitted. “It feels sad. It feels desperate. But when you sit in those feelings and go, ‘These things are not going to kill me,’ it’s like actually, I am capable of joy and happiness all by myself.”
Lopez, who parents 16-year-old twins with former spouse Marc Anthony, also reflected on personal growth: “You have to be complete, if you want something that’s more complete. 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.’”
The separation marks their second failed engagement, following their initial 2002 engagement and subsequent 2021 reunion. While Affleck, 52, has maintained relative silence about their divorce, Lopez has addressed managing public perception: “I know I’m a good person. I know I’m a good mom. I know who my friends are. I know my friends know who I am, my mom, my dad, all that stuff. If you hope to have a long career, you have to learn how to deal with that part of the business.”
