While on a press tour for her recent film “Unstoppable,” Jennifer Lopez seems to be working overtime not only to promote her film but to bury some intense feelings for Ben Affleck. Being in the public eye while going through a messy divorce is a grueling endeavor, but it’s one J. Lo seems willing to do. During a recent red carpet interview caught on X, a reporter asked the “Hustlers” star what it was like to work with her ex-husband, Ben Affleck, as a producer on the film. “In front of the camera and behind the scenes as well, Ben Affleck described you as spectacular in your performance. How would you describe him as a producer?” Swallowing a timid “thank you,” J. Lo formed her response — and it said more than she meant it to.
We sat down with Nicki Swift’s in-house body language expert, Traci Brown, CSP, to further dissect what was really going on for the “Dance Again” singer. When J. Lo responded with a professional yet avoidant, “I would describe all of the cast and everybody behind the scenes as spectacular and wonderful,” we were certain there was more to the story than that. Traci Brown agrees and gives us an all-access peek at what could really be going on with J. Lo.
J. Lo avoids the question, and her feelings for Ben Affleck
This isn’t the first time Jennifer Lopez’s body language couldn’t hide the stress of what she was going through with Ben Affleck. Throughout the rise and fall of Lopez and Affleck’s relationship, it was clear that the “Enough” actress was wholly committed to Affleck, even if he found that desire a little too intense. Now, Lopez is in the precarious position of having to promote a film she and Affleck worked on together while also hiding her true feelings post-divorce. “She doesn’t really answer the question,” Traci Brown points out. “She starts talking about the cast and everyone behind the scenes. I suppose the producer is behind the scenes. But she makes it much more generalized, preferring to avoid specifically talking about him.” Deflecting is an easy way to avoid having to discuss big feelings in the moment, but Brown noticed even more.
“We see her eye patterns go defocused quickly. That means she’s constructing info.” Taking the time to process is natural, but a pause for such an empty response certainly speaks volumes. After barely answering the question, Brown pointed out, “Her eyes indicate that she’s going into her feelings … there’s info she’s leaving out here.” Considering some of the post-divorce outfits J. Lo has been wearing, it could be that she’s trying to tamp down her true feelings of grief and loss. Or, maybe she’s biting her tongue from bragging about the new handsome man she has been seen with recently. Either way, we hope the rest of the press tour goes smoothly for all parties involved.
