Ben Affleck doesn't want every detail of his relationship with Jennifer Lopez to be shared all over the town.
"I had a very firm sense of boundaries initially around the press," the Oscar winner said in the Hustlers actress' documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told while looking back at their time together in the early aughts. "While Jen I don't think objected to it in the way I did. I very much did object to it."
So when they rekindled their romance nearly two decades after they'd called off their engagement in 2003, the Argo star did cost one thing: a sense of privacy.
"Getting back together, I said, 'Listen, one of the things I don't want is a relationship on social media,'" he continued. "And then I sort of realized it's not a fair thing to ask. It's sort of like you're gonna marry a boat captain and you go, 'Well, I don't like the water.' We're just two people with kind of different approaches trying to learn to compromise."
Still, it may not surprise fans that Ben—who wed Jennifer in 2022—wanted to keep parts of their marriage to themselves. After all, he said the catalyst for their early aughts breakup "was this massive amount of scrutiny around our private life."
So Jennifer—who shares 16-year-old twins Emme and Max with ex-husband Marc Anthony—knows telling their love story isn't exactly in Ben's comfort zone.
"I don't think he's very comfortable with me doing all of this," the singer, who recently dropped her This Is Me…Now album, said in the doc. "But he loves me, he knows I'm an artist and he's gonna support me in every way he can. You can't stop me from making the music I made and writing the words that I wrote. That's gonna happen, and he doesn't want to stop me. He wants to do that. But that doesn't mean he's kind of comfortable being the muse."
And while Ben—who shares three kids with ex-wife Jennifer Garner—understands making art based on personal experiences, that didn't necessarily make the process easier.
"Jen was really inspired by this experience, which is how artists do their work," he shared. "They get inspired, their personal life. It moves you. I know as a writer and director, I certainly do the same things. But things that are private, I had always felt, are sacred and special because in part they're private. So, this was something of an adjustment for me."
The Greatest Love Story Never Told is available to watch on Prime Video now. And to look back at Bennifer's journey, keep reading.
December 2001: Filming Gigli
The two prepare to film a scene for the movie in West Hollywood. The couple met on the set of the film.
October 2002: Spotted in Beverly Hills
The two are spotted in the city.
November 2002: Filming Gigli and Engagement
The two film the movie on Will Rogers State Beach in Los Angeles. That month, the actor proposes to the actress with a 6.1-carat pink diamond ring.
November 2002: Filming Jersey Girl
The two film the movie in New York City.
November 2002: Leaving MTV's TRL
Is there anything more '00s than both Bennifer 1.0 and TRL?
December 2002: Red Carpet Debut
The two make their red carpet debut as a couple at the premiere of her film Maid in Manhattan.
January 2003: Sundance
The two bundle up at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
February 2003: Daredevil Premiere
The two appear at the premiere of Daredevil, starring Ben as the superhero.
February 2003: Daredevil Premiere
The two appear at the premiere of Daredevil, starring Ben and future ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
March 2003: Oscars
The two attend the Academy Awards together.
May 2003: Basketball Game
The two sit courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
July 2003: Canada Trip
The two film a Dateline interview for NBC in Vancouver.
July 2003: Gigli Premiere
The two appear at the premiere for their movie in Westwood, Calif.
August 2003: Gigli Is Released
…it flops at the box office.
September 2003: Wedding Is Off
The two postpone their wedding. No future date is given.
October 2003: Baseball Date
The two are seen at a Boston Red Sox game. The team is Ben's favorite.
January 2004: It's Over
The two end their engagement.
September 2021: Red Carpet Royalty
They're baaaack. On Sept. 10, the couple makes their first red carpet appearance in 18 years at the Venice Film Festival premiere of The Last Duel.
September 2021: Look of Love
There's no denying J.Lo makes for a stunning plus-one!
September 2021: Back to the Stage
Ben supports J.Lo at the 2021 Global Citizen Live event in New York City, where she performed onstage. It marked her first music gig since she performed at VAX LIVE in May, where the actor also appeared onstage separately, fueling rumors of a rekindled romance.
September 2021: Met Gala Debut
The two attend the Met Gala together for the first time.
October 2021: PDA at Premiere
Jen and Ben put on a sizzling display on the red carpet at the premiere of his film The Last Duel in New York City.
April 2022: Engaged Again!
Jennifer confirmed her engagement to the Gone Girl actor with a video posted to her On The JLo site, revealing a glimpse of her beautiful engagement ring with a green stone.
July 2022: Married!
On July 16, Jennifer and Ben tied the knot in a surprise ceremony at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.
July 2022: Post-Wedding Trip to Paris
The two vacation with her twins and two of his kids in the French capital soon after their wedding.
June 2023: Red Carpet Fabulous
J.Lo steps out with Ben in support of his movie The Flash.
February 2024: This Is Them…Now
Jennifer release This Is Me… Now, an album about her relationship with Ben. The record is accompanied by a musical film titled This Is Me… Now: A Love Story and the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
