Jennifer Lopez revisited some of her most famous movie lines, and that fun process conjured up memories of meeting Ben Affleck for the very first time.
The 54-year-old singer-actress recently took part in a segment for Variety dubbed “Does Jennifer Lopez Know Her Lines From Her Most Famous Movies?” There were some of the usual classics, like The Wedding Planner and Jersey Girl, but one particular film stumped her.
The line in question?
“I thought you wanted to be my bitch.”
J.Lo pondered for a second or three before letting out a big laugh and answering that the line’s from her 2003 romcom Gigli, starring Lopez and now-husband Affleck.
“I said that to Ben,” she added.
While on the subject of looking back on the film — also starring Justin Bartha, Al Pacino and Christopher Walken — Lopez recalled meeting Affleck for the very first time.
“The first time meeting him on that film was at the read-through,” she said. “They did a read-through of the whole thing and I remember kind of just walking in and thinking he was outside smoking a cigarette. And I saw him and we just talked for like a minute and then I sat down and we did the read-through.”
Admittedly, Lopez says she doesn’t “remember a whole bunch more about it.” But she does “remember being on the set with him every day and loving it.”
Lopez and Affleck famously dated in the early aughts and got engaged before calling it off and ultimately splitting up in 2004. They rekindled their romance in 2021, and they tied the knot a year later. She recently opened up to Variety about the 2004 breakup.
“Our relationship crumbled under the weight of the pressure,” the “Can’t Get Enough’ singer told the outlet. “We lost a sense of ourselves, and we needed to separate because we didn’t know how to survive it. I had to figure myself out, and he had to figure himself out.”
Fast forward to now, Lopez says she’s open to the idea of working with Affleck again.
“I don’t know, in the right thing, maybe, on the right thing,” she said. “I mean, we love working together and being together so maybe.”
The couple recently teamed up for a hilarious Super Bowl commercial for Dunkin’ Donuts, in which Affleck is flanked by Matt Damon and Tom Brady — forming The DunKings — as he tries (but fails) to break into the music biz.
“I don’t think you should do this,” Jack Harlow warns Affleck at the top of the Super Bowl spot.
Undeterred, Affleck bursts into the studio where Lopez is working on music. The NFL legend acts as his DJ and an unmotivated Damon carries on as Affleck announces, “What up, Bronx! Here comes the Boston Massacre!”
“Sometimes it’s really hard to be your friend,” Damon quipped.
Meanwhile, Lopez and rapper Fat Joe are not impressed by Affleck’s attempt — or his enthusiastic dance moves.
Speaking to 360aproko at the premiere of This Is Me… Now: A Love Story at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, on Tuesday, Lopez revealed that it was Affleck who orchestrated the entire collaboration.
“That’s the genius that is Ben Affleck,” Lopez mused. “It has nothing to do with me. I just did whatever he asked me to do, I’m like, ‘Yeah, sure, I’ll be there.'”
