At her film premiere, Jennifer Lopez couldn’t hold back tears as she expressed heartfelt gratitude to her husband Ben Affleck, crediting him for inspiring her life and career. “Thank you for believing in me,” she told him, her voice filled with emotion.
The 54-year-old singer and actress was speaking at the premiere of her latest film, “This is Me… Now: A Love Story,” which accompanies her ninth album, “This Is Me… Now,” released just days prior.
Despite the film’s hefty $20 million budget, solely financed by Lopez, early reviews have been less than favorable. However, Lopez didn’t let that detract from the moment as she shared her heartfelt sentiments.
In an Instagram clip capturing her on stage, Lopez revealed, “[Ben is] the person who inspired this for me. Who has inspired me my whole life. He inspired an album 20 years ago, and I know that he hates that I’m doing this right now.”
The album she referred to is 2002’s “This Is Me… Then,” released shortly after she began her relationship with Affleck. Lopez dedicated the album to him, expressing, “You are my life… my sole inspiration for every lyric, every emotion, every bit of feeling on this record.”
Jennifer continued, expressing, “He’s just like ‘Please, shut up’ – but I refuse! I want to say I love you and thank you for believing in me, for helping me believe in myself, and for supporting my growth every single day.”
“Thank you for the family we’ve built, for our children, and for everything you do for me. You’ll never understand what it means to share this lifetime with you as my love. Thank you.”
Jennifer’s creative endeavors don’t stop with just an album and a 65-minute film. She is also unveiling a documentary titled “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” chronicling the challenging journey to complete both projects. Additionally, she will embark on a 30-city American tour.
Speaking to The Today Show two days after the premiere, Jennifer announced the “This Is Me… Now” tour, scheduled to commence in June and culminate on August 31. This marks her first tour in 12 years, with tickets set to go on sale on February 20.
The unveiling of numerous sweet and passionate love letters written by Ben during their initial relationship from 2002 to 2004 left him unimpressed. Jennifer had decided to share these letters with her songwriters to inspire her album’s creation. In the documentary, Ben walked in on strangers reading his intimate thoughts from decades ago.
Reflecting on this, Ben remarked to the camera, “I found the beauty, poetry, and irony in the fact that it’s the greatest love story never told. Making a record about it seems like telling it.”
“This Is Me… Now: A Love Story” presents a visually stunning and musically rich reimagining of Jennifer’s publicized love life, featuring not only Jennifer and Ben but also Sofia Vergara, Trevor Noah, and Sadhguru. Interestingly, a Kardashian was almost part of the cast as well.
