Ben Affleck’s professional life has long been inextricably intertwined with his love life. It was true in the early-2000s when his overexposed, roller coaster romance with Jennifer Lopez dovetailed with a series of cinematic bombs — and it’s just as true in recent years, with his astonishing Hollywood comeback largely tied to his picture-perfect marriage to the effervescent Jennifer Garner.
So what happens now that the celebrity press is sharpening its knives over reports that the A-list couple — married nearly 10 years with three children — are on the verge of a split? It’s been a daily drumbeat of ominous stories — the duo making a miserable-looking frozen yogurt run in Los Angeles, a moving truck appearing in their driveway (though People magazine insisted that they’re just renovating).
“How many days until Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck get divorced?” Defamer recently asked. Us Weekly noted the occasion with a somber “Fighting for Their Marriage” cover.
Granted, we have no idea what’s going on in their relationship. So we’ll focus on a question that bears asking: What do these stories mean for Affleck and his all-important public image?
You can mark the pivots of Affleck’s famously up-and-down career by what was going on in his personal life. A charter member of the Kevin Smith indie clique, Affleck rocketed to stardom at age 24, thanks in part to his lifelong best-friendship with Matt Damon, with whom he wrote and co-starred in “Good Will Hunting.” Together, they won the 1997 Best Screenplay Oscar. He hooked up with red-hot ingenue Gwyneth Paltrow as she was headlining a series of awards-buzz movies. With his role in her “Shakespeare in Love” lending him a bit of class, Affleck made the jump to the blockbuster leading man with “Armageddon.”
Then things took a dive. Around the time of misfires like universal let-down “Pearl Harbor,” Affleck’s off-screen life completely overshadowed his work. He went to rehab in 2001.
The next year, he started dating pop star/actress Jennifer Lopez. He caught up with J-Lo at the absolute top of her game. But she was already a tabloid magnet, and her rapid rebound with Affleck (they were engaged within months of her divorce) became a sideshow spectacle: “Bennifer.”
After Lopez and Affleck postponed their wedding because of “excessive media attention” (they considered hiring three “decoy brides”), his career started to tailspin as well. They co-starred in “Gigli” in 2003, widely considered one of the most terrible films of all time. Bennifer broke up soon after, and Affleck stepped out of the spotlight. “All this s— just kind of blew up,” Affleck later told Details magazine, calling 2003 the worst year of his life.
The one upside? Affleck became acquainted with co-star Garner during “Daredevil,” and a year after the movie’s release, they started dating. At the time, she was a rising star from the critically-acclaimed TV spy drama “Alias.” Dating a beloved star couldn’t have come at a better time for Affleck, still shaking off public mockery and bombs such as “Jersey Girl” and “Surviving Christmas.” The pair eloped in 2005 and soon after had a baby girl, Violet.
Just as Affleck was reshaping his reputation as a devoted family man, he slowly started to climb his way back to respectability in the industry. He won acclaim for smaller roles in “Hollywoodland” and “State of Play.” Then, he took his talents behind the camera with “The Town,” directing the crime drama set in Boston.
Even as the Internet continued to buzz with rumors about indiscretions, Affleck’s newly refined image powered him through: By now, he and Garner had two adorable daughters, and who wanted to knock the golden family?
Affleck’s career resurgence matched his family bliss as he directed “Argo,” which took over the 2013 award season, winning the Best Picture Oscar and firmly re-establishing him among the Hollywood elite. His Oscar speech raised some eyebrows with a comment directed at his wife — “I want thank you for working on our marriage for 10 Christmases … it is work, but it’s the best kind of work, and there’s no one I’d rather work with.” Again, so normal!
Now, though, everyone’s sifting over Affleck’s Oscar-night words again. Though he scored big with a starring role in “Gone Girl” last year, the negative stories have started to ramp up.
Affleck and Garner appear to have made an effort to be seen in public together, of course with their kids. But it’s worth noting that up next for Affleck is “Batman v. Superman,” and superfans are not pleased that Affleck is taking on the Batman role. If history teaches us anything, this could represent another valley for Affleck — especially if he doesn’t have the image of a perfect marriage to fall back on.
