Ben Affleck Reflects on Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Bananas’ Level of Fame ArticlePure

Ben Affleck confesses that he’s “a little bit shy” and prefers to be behind the camera.

During the season 4 premiere of Kevin Hart’s Hart to Heart, Affleck, 51, opened up about life in the spotlight, noting how people’s reactions to seeing him versus his wife Jennifer Lopez in public differ. 

Hart, 44, first asked the Air actor if he prefers working behind or in front of the camera. Affleck said he sees himself as a “director,” but he quickly noted that he’s “a little bit shy.”

“I also don’t like a lot of attention,” he continued. “This why people see me [and] they’re like, ‘Well, this dude always mad…’ Because somebody has their camera and sticking to my face.”

“I don’t mind you taking my picture about a club, a premiere, whatever. My wife, I don’t give a f—. Go ahead. Knock yourself out. I don’t notice you,” he said before adding, “My children, that’s a different thing.”

Affleck shares Violet, 18, and Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, 52. He is also stepdad to Lopez’s 16-year-old twins, Max and Emme, whom she shares with ex Marc Anthony.

As the conversation continued, Affleck remarked on the different ways fans express their affection for him and Lopez. 

“We went somewhere with [Jennifer]—I can’t remember because she’s so famous, and she creates this—people love her. And she really represents something important to people,” Affleck explained.

“[To me,] people are like, ‘Hey, I like your movie,’ and then they’re like ‘AHHHH! J-LO!’” he shouted. “It’s amazing, you know what I mean?”

The Good Will Hunting star also shared an anecdote about their family of seven venturing around Times Square during a vacation when Lopez was instantly bombarded by fans.

“We get out of the car, we were going to a play, and I was like, ‘F— it, babe, we’re going to be late, we gotta walk a block and a half.’ [Lopez] was like, ‘Alright,’ she didn’t say s—,” he shared.

“We get out with her, all the kids, through Times Square, and the s— was like f—in’ bananas,’“ he recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ There was a lady, she was smoking weed, in a full purple skintight suit—she’s a heavy lady—and she starts running backwards filming, going ‘J-LO!!’ Like a herald. Then gets everyone else, they’re all tourists, whatever, just moving.” 

“Then I’m moving. We got, like, our five kids, me and Jen, and it’s, it’s like, it feels like hundreds of people and now screaming,” he continued. 

“By the way, in that moment, you got to be oblivious to act like it’s all okay,” Hart added. 

“Totally. Yeah, that’s why I put my bitch face on,” Affleck joked.

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It’s not known when this episode of Heart to Hart taped, but Affleck and Lopez’s marriage has been strained recently, with Lopez vacationing in Italy this week without him and their shared Beverly Hills mansion listed for sale. The two last jointly attended Samuel’s graduation earlier in June.

Hart to Heart airs Thursdays on Peacock.