All’s been relatively quiet on the Bennifer front for some time as Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez adjust to life together back in the public eye.
Sure, there was a potentially very awkward trick-or-treat run-in with Jennifer Garner, a date night to the premiere of Ben’s box office bomb The Last Duel (millennials, that one’s on us, apparently!) and a rom-com-worthy goodbye kiss at an airport, all within the past few months.
But we’ve heard little about the romance from the couple themselves, as the two seem intent on learning from past mistakes of overexposure... maybe.
Speaking with WSJ. Magazine, Ben addressed his rekindled romance with Jen for the first time publicly and even suggested that another shot at marriage might lie in the future.
“The most important thing is being a good father,” he told the magazine. “The second most important thing is to be a good man. And a good person. And, ostensibly, you know, a good husband. Hopefully.”
When asked if he’s referring to his current relationship with Jennifer, the actor said he was choosing to “exercise a little restraint,” as he’s learned that “it’s not wise to share everything with the world.”
“There are some things which are private and intimate and have meaning in terms of their intimacy by dint of the fact that they are not shared with the rest of the world,” he said.
“I’m more comfortable just learning to find a boundary between things that I want to share and things that I don’t. I know that I feel more comfortable having those healthy boundaries in my life.”
However, talking about the romance itself, Ben did admit: “I can say that it’s definitely beautiful to me.”
“My life now reflects not just the person I want to be, but the person I really feel like I am ― which is not perfect, but somebody who tries very hard and cares very much about being honest and authentic and accountable,” he said.
“I could just say that I feel great about being very healthy,” he went on. “And it is a good story. It’s a great story. And, you know, maybe one day I’ll tell it. I’ll write it all out. And then I’ll light it on fire.”
Ultimately, Ben said, he feels “very lucky” to have “benefitted from second chances” in both life and love.
The union known as Bennifer, of course, first arose in the early 2000s, when Ben and Jen sparked a romance while filming Gigli and got engaged shortly thereafter. They eventually called off their wedding and split in 2004, but reunited as a couple ― after nearly two decades apart ― this past April.
“Life is difficult and we are always failing and hopefully learning from those failures. The one thing you really need to avail yourself of the opportunities provided from that growth is the second chance,” Ben told WSJ.
“I’ve definitely tried to take advantage of that. I haven’t always been successful, but in cases in which I have, they’ve turned out to be the defining aspects of my life.”
Jennifer has also said little to the press about Ben, but in an interview last month, she didn’t rule out the possibility of one day walking down the aisle again with someone special.
“You know me. I’m a romantic,” she told Today when asked if she could see herself getting married again in the future. “I always have been. I’ve been married a few times. Yeah, I still believe in happily ever after, for sure, 100 percent.”