Jennifer Lopez’s Film Director Explains ‘Purposeful’ Decision Not to Show Ben Affleck’s Face in This Is Me…Now (Exclusive)

Jennifer Lopez’s new movie is inspired by her love story with Ben Affleck — and even though he appears in the Amazon original, it’s not what you think.

The Oscar-winning actor and director does appear in the This is me… now: a love story, but his episodes are short; in some scenes his face is shrouded in secrecy, and in others he appears disguised as an announcer named Rex Stone.

Dave Meyers, who directed the film, tells PEOPLE that this was a creative decision he and Lopez, 54, made to highlight the personal progress the star has made during the time she and Affleck have been apart.

“In the opening scene, we were doing all kinds of things, but we didn’t really want to end it, the whole journey of love was just to get back to Ben,” says Meyers. “It was purposeful, because everything Jen was telling me was about her personal maturity and what she’s been through and learned about herself. That’s what people will mostly relate to.”

IN This is me… now: a love story, viewers see a fictionalized version of Lopez at different stages of her life over the past 20 years as she navigates three failed marriages, toxic relationships and waves of self-doubt, all set for her new album. Although she (spoiler alert!) eventually finds her way to Affleck, his face is never shown.

Jennifer Lopez Announces This Is Me… Now Tour For Summer 2024 — Check Out The Dates!

Jennifer Lopez in a scene from the film This Is Me..Now: A Love Story.

Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

However, he is seen as announcer Stone, whose shows are shown periodically throughout the film. Disguising Affleck was a creative decision Meyers and Lopez made to emphasize the fact that Air the star remained a presence in her life, even when they weren’t together (something Meyers learned when Lopez shared a private book of love letters Affleck gave her when they were back together).

“One of the first thoughts I played with [with] “The thing was that we had Ben playing a lot of characters, but always in disguise, so it was like he was always there,” he says. “What I felt when I heard there was a book of 20 years of their correspondence, I was like, God, what an amazing kind of legacy to know that exists. And so for me, in the film, Ben was a constant presence in her life. And so the budget was cut and one thing led to another and he became just one character. And we spread it throughout the film as that kind of ever-present energy.”

The film also includes a moment that some fans may be familiar with: an image of Lopez riding happily on the back of Affleck’s motorcycle.

Meyers confirms that the footage was taken from real life; In 2002, Affleck, dressed in a black T-shirt and sunglasses, was photographed on a motorcycle with a smiling Lopez holding his back. The image was famously used in 2003 vanity fair cover story on Affleck.

Jennifer Lopez in Dubai on February 10, 2024.

Darren Gerrish/Getty

“She and Ben are so happy in that one shot, and Ben is a bad boy, and she couldn’t be happier. Re-creating that moment as an indicator of ‘perfect love’ made sense to Jen when she shared it as one of her favorite moments from that era,” says Meyers. “So I thought that was a great way to start the movie and recreate where all of her dissonance with herself started for our story.”

Meyers and Lopez — who on Thursday announced a new 34-date tour scheduled for this summer — first worked together in the early 2000s on music videos for songs like “I’m Real” and “All I Have.” When they caught up again to talk This is me… nowLopez told him what she had been through over the years.

He digested that conversation, he says, and came back to her to lay out “a kind of abstract essence of her brand following 20 years from Ben to now.”

“[We] had the most terrible but wonderful time – terrible only because no one understood. And Ben was always very encouraging and would walk into the room while we were working and just give us little tips,” says Meyers. “I feel like I have true love in my life, and when I look at it, when I was in their house and I was intimate with them for a few months, it felt like they were very, very true love … It was real nice to see how strong and supportive they are of each other. That inspired me even in my marriage. Obviously, Jen and her determination led to 95% of it, but I don’t know if Jen exists without Ben at this point.”

An emotional Jennifer Lopez chokes up as she thanks Ben Affleck This is me… now Film screening in LA

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck at the premiere of This Is Me… Now: A Love Story in Los Angeles on February 13, 2024.

John Salangsang/Shutterstock

This is me… now: a love story premiered in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, and Lopez and Affleck hit the red carpet together.

Ahead of the screening, Lopez became emotional as she thanked her husband, whom she married in July 2022.

“And then there’s the person who inspired me to do this, who’s inspired me my whole life. He’s just, he inspired the album 20 years ago and I know he hates that I’m doing this right now,” Lopez said.

“He just says, ‘Please shut up.’ Not! And I say no. I say, I love you and thank you for believing in me and helping me believe in myself,” she continued. “And helping me grow every day. Thank you for the family we have created and our children and everything you do for me.”

“You’ll never know what it’s like to be able to share this life and have you be my love. Thank you,” Lopez concluded.

This is me… now: a love story now streaming on Prime Video.

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Source: HIS Education