How Ben Affleck’s best friend Matt Damon shut Jennifer Lopez down when they were photographed holding hands at the premiere of the movie Unstoppable
Matt Damon refused to talk to Jennifer Lopez about her ex Ben Affleck at the afterparty for their new film Unstoppable, according to sources. They claim the actor made it clear that he “will always support Ben.”
Everyone looked surprised when Lopez, 55, and Damon, 53, were spotted holding hands during a private moment at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday night.
The Jenny From the Block singer and the Bourne Identity star kept their heads close together and looked serious as they reportedly spoke for 20 minutes.
Lopez would like to talk to Damon about her estranged husband after their divorce, but Damon is reportedly “not interested in it at all.”
“Matt Damon shut down every attempt JLo made to talk about Ben at the premiere,” an insider exclusively told DailyMail.com.
“Her timing was so awkward because she expected it to be picked up and go viral if she took Matt aside for an intimate conversation.”
Matt Damon refused to speak to Jennifer Lopez (pictured) about her ex Ben Affleck at the Unstoppable afterparty on Friday night, insiders have told DailyMail.com.
According to sources, Damon made it clear that he will “always support Ben” during the couple’s divorce (Affleck and Lopez pictured in 2023)
The source continued: ‘Her whole hand on his hand was a nice touch, but he wanted none of it.
“He told her he was glad she was okay and grateful for her participation in the film. But he also made it clear that he wasn’t there to talk about Ben at all.”
At one point, the two were sitting together on the corner of the party and Lopez placed her hand on Damon’s as he bowed his head as if in prayer.
Despite how fans may have interpreted the footage, the insider insisted that Damon “wasn’t ‘praying’ with her” and stressed that he would “always have Ben’s back no matter what.”
Lopez turned heads in a disco ball-inspired revenge dress for the event, her first red carpet appearance since filing for divorce from Affleck on August 20. The date marked exactly two years since they tied the knot at his Georgia mansion.
Damon and Affleck are executive producers on Unstoppable, a sports drama about Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and became a champion wrestler in college. However, Affleck chose to stay home rather than risk a public encounter with his ex on the red carpet.
Lopez, who has a supporting role in the film, appeared to be in high spirits that night as she moved on with her life after the failure of her marriage.
A source previously told DailyMail.com that the Let’s Get Loud filmmaker was keen ‘to go to the Toronto Film Festival to promote this film because Unstoppable means a lot to her and she wants to support the film.’
“Matt Damon blocked every attempt JLo made to talk about Ben at the premiere,” the insider told DailyMail.com
Damon and Affleck are producers on Unstoppable, but Affleck chose to stay home rather than risk a public confrontation with his ex on the red carpet (pictured January 2024)
“It’s a true life story that’s very inspiring and she’s proud to be a part of it. Acting in the film was a highlight for her,” the insider said.
‘The film is getting a lot of attention and Jennifer wants it to be as good as possible.
“She is very professional and always works hard to make her films perform at their best.”
Both parties have been at each other’s throats since their split. Lopez’s team described Affleck as “selfish, surly and loud,” while his team portrayed his ex as someone obsessed with fame and hated that their relationship was so public.
The singer made an album, a music film and a documentary based on her love story with the actor and the letters he sent her in the early days of their relationship.
In the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told, Affleck said he enjoyed the celebrity attention less than his wife, but admitted it wouldn’t be “fair” to Lopez to leave her out of it.
Before the split was announced, Damon reportedly advised Affleck to “focus on his work” and not lose sight of his professional goals.
“Matt tried to warn Ben that this could happen when he got back with JLo,” an insider told DailyMail.com.
“Matt was there to help Ben get their lives back on track after their first breakup and he had a feeling it was going to happen again.”
Lopez and Affleck, 52, first got engaged in late 2002 but called it quits a year later before finally ending their relationship in 2004.
The couple renewed their love in 2021, marrying in a Las Vegas ceremony in July of that year, before hosting a lavish wedding at his Georgia estate in August 2022 (pictured)
Affleck has always had a lot of respect for the opinions of his friends, especially since Damon has had a loving marriage to his wife Luciana Barroso for more than 18 years.
The friends, who had been friends for more than 40 years, first broke through in 1997 when they won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for their film Good Will Hunting.
Affleck would later say that they considered parting ways professionally, but that didn’t happen. They worked together again on a number of projects.
The good friends are scheduled to promote another film starring Lopez in the coming months: a musical film, Kiss of the Spider Woman, which she is also co-producing.
