Ben Affleck heaped on the praise for his on-again squeeze Jennifer Lopez — but this was about her business acumen and her role as a role model for entrepreneurs of color.
Affleck told the trade Adweek that he’s “in awe” of Ms. From the Block, who was named the magazine’s 2021 Brand Visionary. The cover feature on Lopez features testimonials about her from colleagues and friends, including Affleck.
“I am in awe of what Jennifer’s effect on the world is,” Affleck enthused. “At most, as an artist, I can make movies that move people. Jennifer has inspired a massive group of people to feel they have a seat at the table in this country. That is an effect few people throughout history have had, one…I can only stand by and admire with respect,” Ben said.
The feature details not only Lopez’s cosmetics and fashion empire, but also her charity effort, Limitless Labs, which, along with Goldman Sachs, is boosting efforts of Latinx entrepreneurs.
“All I can tell you is that I have seen firsthand the difference representation makes because I have seen, over and over and over…women of color approach Jennifer and tell her what her example as a strong woman, and a woman succeeding and demanding her fair share in the business world means to them,” Affleck said.
Elsewhere in the feature, Lopez’s Hustlers co-producer and Nuyorican Productions partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas said, “Jennifer’s brand has always been about…not allowing anyone or anything to trivialize or marginalize or stop you.”
She added, “We try to pick projects with characters who are…empowered, and people are cast and our crews with as much diversity as possible, giving women and people of color an opportunity they did not have a few years ago.”
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