Jennifer Lopez is opening up about how her ex-husband, Ben Affleck, played a pivotal role in helping her bring her upcoming film Kiss of the Spider Woman to life.
In a new interview with CBS’s Sunday Morning, Lopez revealed that Affleck and his longtime collaborator Matt Damon supported the $30 million project through their company, Artists Equity.
“They financed it. I told him this was the role I wanted to do, and he was like, ‘Okay,’ and he helped make it happen,” Lopez shared. She added that she had always told him the role was one she was “born to play.”
Directed by Bill Condon and based on the 1992 West End musical, the Lionsgate production will open in U.S. theaters on October 10. Affleck, 53, serves as one of eight executive producers on the film.
Lopez, 55, takes on three distinct characters in the project: Ingrid Luna, Aurora, and the Spider Woman. “This is the first musical I was meant to do,” she explained. “I got to play three very different roles, and each had distinct emotional moments. It was a blessing.”
The project provided Lopez with creative fulfillment during a turbulent period in her personal life. She and Affleck finalized their divorce on February 21, ending their marriage after two years.
Reflecting on the overlap of work and private struggles, Lopez admitted, “It was like the best and the worst of times in a way because…every moment on set and every moment I was doing this role, I was so happy. And then back home, it was not great. And it was just like, ‘How do I reconcile this?'”
She continued, “But you get through it. And you know, honestly, I have to say it was the best thing that ever happened to me because it changed me. It didn’t change me. It helped me grow in a way that I needed to grow and become more self-aware. I’m a different person now than I was…a year and a half ago.”
The former couple, famously known as “Bennifer,” first dated in the early 2000s before rekindling their romance in 2021. Despite their split, they remain tied financially. Earlier this year, they relisted their Beverly Hills mansion for $52 million, a property they bought for $60.85 million in 2023.
With Lopez stepping into her first major musical role and navigating a new chapter of her life, Kiss of the Spider Woman marks both a career milestone and a personal turning point.