Ben Affleck Explains What 'Doesn't Sit Right' with Him About His and Jennifer Lopez's 2003 FilmGigli

Mar. 15, 2025

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in “Gigli” (2003).Photo:Columbia/Revolution Studios/Kobal/Shutterstock

Columbia/Revolution Studios/Kobal/Shutterstock

Ben Affleckis looking back on why his “big” payday for the 2003 flopGigli"doesn’t sit right" with him today.

The Oscar winner, 52, and his frequent collaboratorMatt Damon, 54, spoke about the business of filmmaking andtheir production company Artists Equityin an in-depth interview withDeadline.

While discussing pay structures for actors versus other stakeholders involved in creating a movie, Affleck used as an example the poor performance ofGigli, a movie he famously starred in withJennifer Lopez.

“I got a big cash payday for that,” recalled Affleck. “Well, it doesn’t feel right in retrospect because they lost money. It wasn’t the biggest money-losing movie in history even though it was the most famous bomb in history, perhaps.”

“Nonetheless,” he continued, “that doesn’t sit right with me. But it also doesn’t sit right with people when they go, wait a minute, we all sacrificed to be committed to this. And then the old story about the $10 million movie that’s made $200 million and nobody’s seen a nickel.”

Affleck said the “answer” is “fairness,” as he explained the way creatives invest in a project from the get-go as part of Artists Equity’s mission.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in “Gigli” (2003).Columbia/Revolution Studios/Kobal/Shutterstock

“That’s a basic fundamental principle that Matt and I are really drawn to, to create a fair deal for everybody that they can live with in success, in failure, or anywhere along the spectrum,” he said.

Artists Equity’s latest film is the dramaSmall Things Like ThesestarringCillian Murphy, and the company is also behind the upcoming sports movieUnstoppable, which stars Lopez.

Affleck, who is in the middle of divorce negotiations with Lopez after she filed to end their two-year marriage in August, told Deadline that “Jennifer Lopez is terrific in"Unstoppable. (In another recent interview, Affleck said he is “proud” ofUnstoppableandthat Lopez gives a “spectacular” performance.)

Unstoppablepremiered at the Toronto International Film Festival several weeks after the divorce news, withLopez and Damon attending the event in support of the projectwhile Affleck was absent.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon on March 18, 2023.Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty

Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Back in 2022, Affleck admittedtoEntertainment WeeklythatGigliwas “such a famous bomb and a disaster” but “very few people actually saw the movie.”

He added at the time, “And I did get to meet Jennifer, the relationship with whom has been really meaningful to me in my life.”

source: people.com