Ben: J-Lo was my career low

MORE than a decade since he ended their engagement, Ben Affleck says his romance with Jennifer Lopez (they were nicknamed “Bennifer” at the time) almost destroyed his career.

The actor blames the 46-year-old pop star and actress for his career low, which included box-office flops Gigli, Surviving Christmas and Jersey Girl in the early 2000s. “If you went by what people said, I wasn’t cool and I wasn’t talented,” he said.

“I was the lowest rung of cool and talent that you could possibly be.” Even after he quit the relationship in 2004 the backlash continued. “I had broken up with Jennifer and had three or four movies in a row that bombed,” he admitted. “I thought, ‘I want to take up directing, which is for people that are taken seriously.’” One Jennifer he does appreciate is his estranged wife, actress Jennifer Garner, who he married in 2005 but split from last year, and credits with his career resurgence.