Jennifer Lopez discussed the difficulty of having to "hide" her struggles from her children just two months after her divorce from Ben Affleck.
Jennifer, who shares 16-year-old twins Max and Emme with her ex-husband Marc Anthony, opened up about the issue at an event for her upcoming film, Unstoppable.
The film was produced by Ben's company, Artists Equity, which he shares with his longtime friend and collaborator Matt Damon. It follows the story of Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and became a champion wrestler.
J-Lo acts opposite Jharrel Jerome in the film as his mother, who gave birth at just 16. She revealed at the film event that she initially thought Judy Robles was a "smaller character" in the story until she met the woman herself.
She explained that the film was "relatable" for women in "challenging relationships", hinting at her recent divorce from Ben.
"I think a lot of women have gone through that, and [Judy] and I talked a lot," she said.
© Instagram"We got to know each other. I wanted her to really feel safe with me [while] sharing details because as great as the story is, without the struggle, that's what makes it great."
She continued: "There was a whole different story there that she was living, that you hide from your children, you protect your children from that."
© Mike Marsland"But I thought it was really, really important to not just play the mom who the kids knew, but to play the woman who raised these children and where she found her own strength and her own struggles, and was able to put that and make sure her children…benefited from her life experience, as opposed to being brought down by the things that she was struggling with."
"And for me, it was just a full, beautiful character to play, and I really enjoyed kind of losing myself and…I didn't want anybody to see me in it. I wanted them to see Judy in it."
© Mike MarslandBen, who Jennifer married in July 2022 before filing for divorce in August 2024, spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the upcoming project, sweetly gushing that his ex-wife is "spectacular" in the film.
While they only have kind things to say about each other post-split, Jennifer revealed just how challenging the breakup was for her to Interview magazine in October.
© Getty Images"It feels lonely, unfamiliar, scary," she began. "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. Being in a relationship doesn't define me.'"
As for if she had any regrets, the 55-year-old only had this to say: "Not one second. That doesn't mean it didn't almost take me out for good. It almost did."
