Jennifer Lopez Reveals the Painful Lessons Learned from Her Divorce with Ben Affleck – How It Shapes Her Acting in Unstoppable
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Jennifer Lopez has been no stranger to the highs and lows of love and relationships throughout her life, but her recent divorce from Ben Affleck has sparked a new phase in her personal and professional journey. While fans may know JLo for her captivating performances and chart-topping music, the actress-singer opens up about how her past experiences, particularly the painful lessons from her divorce, have influenced her approach to acting—especially in her latest film, Unstoppable.
For Lopez, love has often been a tumultuous ride, marked by several public relationships that didn’t last. Her split from Ben Affleck, one of the most talked-about celebrity breakups in recent years, left her grappling with emotional turmoil, but it also gave her something invaluable: perspective. In a candid interview, Lopez reveals that she draws from her personal hardships to inform her characters, especially in roles that require a deep emotional connection.
In Unstoppable, Lopez portrays a mother who is not only supporting her son’s rise to success but is also facing her own struggles. She shares, “I wanted to really understand Judy and make sure she felt safe with me [while] sharing details of her experience.” The character, like many of the roles Lopez has taken on, embodies resilience in the face of adversity, a trait that the singer-actress has become all too familiar with in her own life.
Lopez takes a moment to reflect on her past relationships and the impact they’ve had on her ability to understand complex characters. “When you talk to Judy’s kids, including Anthony, they say, ‘My mom’s so positive, she’s so great,’ but there was a whole different story there that she was living, that you hide from your children,” she explains. The willingness to shield her children from her own struggles resonates deeply with Lopez, whose personal life often mirrors the emotional depth of her on-screen portrayals.
In the film, Judy’s story is one of strength and sacrifice, themes that are all too familiar to Lopez herself. The actress admits that her “challenging relationships” have given her a unique understanding of the intricate balance between vulnerability and strength—a dynamic she channels into her character’s journey. For Lopez, acting has become a way to process her own experiences, turning pain into art and offering audiences an authentic portrayal of human resilience.
As Lopez continues to evolve both personally and professionally, it’s clear that the lessons learned from her divorce—and from all the love and loss she’s experienced—will continue to shape her performances. In Unstoppable, she brings a rawness and authenticity that makes her portrayal of Judy both powerful and relatable. For JLo, these painful lessons are not just part of her past, but they are integral to her craft, helping her to create characters that resonate deeply with audiences.
Jennifer Lopez has always been a force to be reckoned with, both on-screen and in life. And as she moves forward, her ability to transform personal pain into powerful performances proves that she is not only unstoppable in her career but in her own personal growth as well.