In Hollywood, nothing is guaranteed.
Ben Affleck recently revealed that in this business, anything could lead to the end of his career.
“We’re all subject to this sort of insecurity in this business,” the 52-year-old told Deadline earlier this month. “Whether we’re actors or directors or writers, the phone could stop ringing for us.”
“This is the only thing I can count on, this upfront money. I don’t know when this might go away,” Affleck continued. “I’m one errant remark away from being canceled, or I’m one movie bomb away from never working again, and I’ve got a family and so forth.”
Now, Affleck and his long-time pal Matt Damon started the Artists Equity production company, which aims to create fair pay between creators and studios in the industry.
Affleck explained, “I’ve been in movies like ‘Gigli,’ that’s a famous example. I got a big cash payday for that. Well, it doesn’t feel right in retrospect because they [the studio] lost money.”
“It wasn’t the biggest money-losing movie in history even though it was the most famous bomb in history, perhaps. Nonetheless, that doesn’t sit right with me,” he admitted. “But it also doesn’t sit right with people when they go, wait a minute, we all sacrificed to be committed to this. And then the old story about the $10 million movie that’s made $200 million and nobody’s seen a nickel.”
These days, the actor is also focused on his personal life — which includes dating again after his divorce from Jennifer Lopez after two years of marriage.
“He’s open to it,” a source recently told Entertainment Tonight. However, the insider cautioned that dating is not at the top of the star’s list.
“Ben has other priorities that are more important,” they said.
The insider’s comments come just weeks after Lopez, 55, shared she is “not looking for anybody” to date and is happy being single for the time being.
Speaking with comedian Nikki Glaser for a piece in Interview magazine, the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer said that she is “working on herself’ after her “whole world fell apart” this summer.
Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck on Aug. 20, the two-year anniversary of their second wedding ceremony.
When Glaser, 40, suggested that Lopez has “a new bar for the next person that comes along” after her split from Affleck, the “Hustlers” star was adamant about staying single.
“Here’s the thing: There’s no new bar because I’m not looking for anybody. How’s that?” she told Glaser.
Asked by Glaser whether this is “the first time you’ve been able to say that as a single woman,” Lopez exclaimed, “Yes!”
“For people who are romantics and love being in relationships and want to grow old with somebody, we think, ‘I have to have that to be whole and happy.’ And you don’t,” JLo added.
She also said that she does not regret “one second” of the pain the breakup with Affleck caused.
“That doesn’t mean it didn’t almost take me out for good. It almost did,” confessed Lopez. “But now, on the other side of it, I think to myself, ‘F–k, that is exactly what I needed. Thank you, God. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m sorry that you had to do this to me so many times. I should have learned it two or three times ago. I get it. You had to hit me really hard over the head with a f–king sledgehammer. You dropped the house on me. Don’t have to do it again.’”
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She added that her newly found perspective on love doesn’t mean she has “everything figured out,” but insists she’s “excited” to be on her own.
