While most of the world has been self-isolating during the “Corona Days,” Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, who might easily be keeping up with the safety guidelines while at home, have also been making time for some outdoor displays of affection. Well, that is before they just recently broke up.
Page Six confirmed the split of the pair that was together for almost a year. Apparently, “He would not commit to having more kids,” said an insider. “She is in her 30s. It was a deal-breaker.” The two, however, were the talk of the town. This is what went on with Ben and Ana… and all their previous lovers.
Hello, Benana
Ben Affleck and Ana De Armas, also known as “Benana,” have been seen together on more than just one masked outing, walking the dog, and holding coffee cups. And it’s clear that these two are hand-holders. At least for now. They kept their relationship professional on the set of Deep Water last year, which was the psychological thriller that brought these two together.
And after the filming wrapped, they traveled to Cuba and Costa Rica together. Probably, to be able to finally grope each other, in the privacy of their resort, in ways that they couldn’t on set. I mean, they did play a married couple on screen, but they are professionals at the end of the day.
Butterflies in the Tummy Days
But, Ben and Ana are one of the more surprising couples to appear in the past year. During these early butterflies-in-the-tummy days. Ben and Ana haven’t publicly confirmed their relationship, and as of now, have yet to even follow each other on Instagram. They have, however, been spending more and more time together around LA, despite the lockdown.
Before becoming romantically involved with each other, the 47-year-old actor was married to Jennifer Garner for 11 years until they got divorced in 2015. And the 32-year-old actress was previously married to Marc Clotet until 2013. By the time these single stars met in New Orleans to film Deep Water, they noticed each other noticing each other, and one thing led to another…
So, Who is Ana de Armas?
While I have to admit that I thought she was Russian, the actress was actually born in Cuba and grew up there. She may be familiar to some people, who saw her in War Dogs, Bladerunner 2049, or in her most recent film, Knives Out (for which she made a Golden Globe-nominated performance). Knives Out was actually her first major lead role.
Ana started her acting career in Spain at the age of 18. Her first American role came in 2015 when she appeared in the erotic horror thriller Knock Knock directed by Eli Roth. In 2016, she appeared in the sports biopic Hands of Stone (with Robert De Niro) as well as the dark comedy War Dogs (with Jonah Hill and Bradley Cooper).
From Film to Film
But when it came time to star in Blade Runner 2049 (with Ryan Gosling), it turned out to be her breakthrough role. She played an AI hologram named Joi in the 2017 sci-fi film. A couple of years later, she meets dear old Ben while filming the erotic thriller Deep Water. The movie, by director Adrian Lyne (who did Fatal Attraction), is based on a novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith.
Ben and Ana play Vic and Melinda Van Allen, a couple in a loveless marriage whose extramarital affairs and sadistic mind games lead to dead bodies. Next in line for Ana is the next James Bond film, which would be the second time she’s acting with Daniel Craig.
A New Bond Girl
Ana De Armas told the Los Angeles Times that her role in the next Bond film as a CIA agent Paloma came about after director Cary Fukunaga gave her a part once it was determined the movie would be filming in Cuba. While the nature of Paloma and Bond’s relationship has been kept under wraps, she said that once she read the script, she decided she could play this new version of “a Bond girl.”
“I wouldn’t say she’s ordinary, because when she needs to perform her job, she does,” Ana told the Los Angeles Times. “But she is flawed. She says what she feels, she’s nervous, she’s scared. It’s human. When I read it, I was like, ‘Oh, wait, I can be a Bond girl. I’m that. I’m that messy.’”
She Didn’t Speak English Until 2014
Believe it or not, until she moved to Hollywood in 2014, Ana didn’t even speak English. From Cuba to Spain, the Spanish-speaking actress only learned English when she decided to take the leap and move to the U.S. to further her career. In 2016, she told AOL that the script for War Dogs didn’t originally call for an accented performance, but she landed the part anyway.
“The part was not reading as a Cuban woman or even from Miami, so I felt very flattered that the studio was open to having an actress with an accent, which is sometimes a little bit of a struggle in Hollywood,” she said. “When I moved to LA two years ago, I didn’t speak English at all, so forgive me if I make a mistake or say something weird.”
Ben Learned Spanish
Another reason why these two have become lovey-dovey might be because the two speak the same two languages – English and Spanish. Ben recently conducted several interviews in Spanish for his film “The Way Back.” On The Kelly Clarkson Show, he revealed that he’s trying to improve his Spanish so that his daughter, Violet, doesn’t beat him.
“She’s always been a very good student, and she’s been interested in Spanish, and so I would often help her,” Ben explained. “Now, all of a sudden, she’s gotten into the grade where she’s, like, in the harder Spanish classes, and she’s getting better.” He didn’t mention Ana, but let’s face it, the Spanish pillow talk is a bonus.
She’s a Divorcee
Before coming to Hollywood, Ana was married to Marc Clotet, a Spanish model and actor. The duo broke up in 2013, and she moved to Los Angeles shortly after. Despite all the rumors linking her to Ben, she has downplayed the questions about her dating life in recent interviews. In a story for Vanity Fair, she briefly summed up her dating life in Hollywood.
“I’ve had company here, but it’s been the wrong company, so I prefer to be alone.” But it looks like Ben has something that her other “company” didn’t. Maybe it’s the Spanish, who knows. But according to a source, the two had “great chemistry right from the start,” and Ana “is great and very pleasant to be around.”
Keeping it Professional
Although they did portray a husband and wife on-screen, the same source explained that the costars kept a strictly professional relationship while on the set. “Ben always seemed very relaxed and happy around Ana, but at the time, there were no signs of romance… He was very focused on making a fantastic movie. He arrived early and was one of the last people to leave.”
By March 2020, the duo was spotted in Havana, Cuba, and a source said they were “definitely dating.” During their trip, they dined at Ivan Chef Casa, shopped in the old city, and took photos with fans. An eyewitness tweeted that Ben was speaking to Ana in her native tongue during the trip.
He’s a Fan of Hers
Apparently, Ana was his tour guide on their trip, and she took him to all her favorite places. Ben seemed to love the whole thing. He was in a great mood and very friendly. The new couple was also seen kissing at the airport before boarding their own private jet (of course). One photo shows Ben pulling the actress in for a kiss during their walk.
Ben has publically praised the actress, saying that her talent is “infinite.” He also said that the first time they read scenes together, “it became pretty clear she was going to do something exceptional with a very complex role…. Her character is the engine of the story and requires her to move between tragedy and irony or between realism and the most absurd comedy.”
He Regrets His Divorce
A source told Us Weekly: “Ana is very happy with Ben. She loves spending time with him, and they have great chemistry and a lot of fun together.” Speaking of chemistry, Ben and Jennifer Garner lost theirs a few years ago when they decided to call it quits. Despite the split, in February 2020, Ben called his divorce from Jennifer Garner, the biggest regret of his life.
Ex explained: “The biggest regret of my life is this divorce. Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame. It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing.” The former married couple announced their divorce in June 2015, during the same month that Us Weekly reported on Ben taking a trip to Las Vegas with the family’s nanny.
Full of Lies?
Ben denied that he was having an affair with the family’s former nanny, and his representative called Us Weekly’s reports “complete garbage and full of lies.” Following their divorce, Jennifer Garner told Vanity Fair that this ex-nanny “was not a part of the equation.” She did say, though, “Bad judgment? Yes.” By 2018, their divorce was finalized and the couple continues to co-parent their three children.
Ben has admitted that he made mistakes. He continued, “I have certainly done things that I regret. But you’ve got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, and try to move forward.” After publically stating his regret from his divorce, he also opened up about his desire to have a “healthy, stable, loving, committed relationship.”
Getting Sober
During an interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC’s Good Morning America, Ben spoke about his recent film The Way Back and his decision to get sober after years of alcohol addiction. Sawyer asked him where he sees himself in five years, to which Ben outlined his hopes for the future, including his three children and a future partner.
As for Jennifer Garner, a source claims that “Jen has completely moved on from Ben in a romantic sense. She considers him a friend, thinks he is a good dad to their children and respects him.” What does Ana think of his sobriety? A source said that she’s been supportive of him. “Ben is sober and in a really good place, and Ana respects him for the process he’s going through.”
Doing it For His Children
Ben Affleck said it was his children who inspired him to stay sober. He revealed to Diane Sawyer that alcoholism actually runs in his family. “For me, seeing my dad, he drank every day, and that was just life… As that got worse, that was really, really painful and I always said, ‘That will never be me. I’m never gonna do that.'”
While he wished his father was sober during his childhood years, Ben said that he learned “how important it is for me to be sober now during these formative years for my kids.” Divorce was also something he never thought would happen to him. “I never thought I was gonna get divorced. I didn’t want to get divorced. I didn’t want to be a divorced person,” he said.
A Public Relapse
Ben credited his kid for his decision to go to rehab not once but twice over the past three years. He said that he really doesn’t want his children to pay for his sins or to be afraid for him, which he mentioned is one of the hard parts of having an alcoholic for a parent.
“You think, ‘What if my dad gets drunk? What if he does something stupid? What if he ends up on TMZ?'” Mentioning TMZ wasn’t just a random slip. Affleck actually experienced a relapse that was broadcast on TMZ, which showed the actor completely drunk after a Halloween party. He learned from that moment and said he’s determined to be the best father he can be.
The Pain of Alcoholism
“Divorce is very painful, and alcoholism is very painful,” Ben told Diane Sawyer. “There’s something that when your child is suffering, that’s a level of pain that is just not easily gotten past… Pain is part of life. I take some comfort in that. I’m doing my very, very best.” He revealed to Sawyer that he made his first attempt to get sober back in 2001.
He described how he was sober for a couple of years and then thought, “You know, I want to just drink like a normal person and I want to have wine at dinner.” He explained that he was able to casually drink for eight years, but the success of his career made it really difficult for him to find a balance.
Bradley Cooper Helped Him Stay Sober
Ben started to drink more and it was really hard to accept that he was an alcoholic. “I started drinking every day. I’d come home from work and I’d drink, and I’d just drink until I passed out on the couch.” Ben also made sure to credit some of his famous friends for helping him stay sober. Bradley Cooper and Robert Downey Jr. are two of them.
They have been really helpful and really supportive of him. “They’re wonderful men,” he said. Ben also revealed with no shame that he is on antidepressants. He says they have been very helpful as he has been taking them since he was 26 years old. The downside? Gaining the extra weight.
Benana’s Quarantine Days
During March of 2020, Ben and Ana took breaks from self-quarantining by taking walks and stopping from some PDA. As people were told to stay at home to slow the spread of the Coronavirus, these two stepped out of self-isolation for some much-needed fresh air and a public kiss. “Ben and Ana are quarantined at his house, where they have been together since returning from Costa Rica,” a source told E! News.
According to this source, the two have a daily routine that includes walking Ana’s dog and ordering in food, delivered by Postmates. Every other day, Ben visits his kids, and Ana stays behind at the house. It seems like cuddly walks are their favorite pastime during these strange days.
His Early Quest to Find Love
Ben Affleck has been through a list of high-profile relationships over the years. It always seems like he has an A-list celebrity at his side, doesn’t it? But has he ever dated anyone who isn’t famous? His first notable relationship was in the 90s when he started dating short-film director Cheyenne Rothman. Their relationship was brief, but she might easily have been his first love.
The two met at a summer camp (a summer camp!) when they were in high school and hit it off. But by 1997, they called it off. Rothman is now a director and producer in Hollywood but is easily the least famous person in Ben’s dating archives. Everyone else he has dated is somewhat of a household name.
Dating Gwyneth Paltrow
Ben and Cheyenne broke up after his Good Will Hunting fame. He then moved on to holding hands with Gwyneth Paltrow between 1997 and 2000. It began with the film Mall Rats in 1997, which was the same year Ben won the Oscar for Good Will Hunting. After collaborating on the film Shakespeare in Love, the two parted ways and then got back together while film Bounce.
By 2000, they ultimately put an end to their on-again, off-again, three-year relationship. Two years later, Paltrow began dating Coldplay’s, Chris Martin. The two got married and eventually divorced. It is Hollywood after all.
After Gwyneth, Ben had a few single years, likely spent with a number of famous flings. That is until he met a Boston socialite.
A Fling with Enza Sambataro
Ben enjoyed a summer romance with Boston socialite Enza Sambataro in 2004. The two apparently met at Boston Red Sox game, which for any Boston-er, is the ultimate romantic setting. After that, the two began dating for a couple of months. Affleck later claimed that too much media attention was what ruined his relationship with the sales executive.
He said, “It’s difficult. I meet people, but I feel like I’m this walking nightmare. You get photographed with me once at a baseball game, and The Enquirer will find out every dirty little thing that ever happened in your family’s history.” That’s the price you pay for being a famous star, Ben. Anyway, Sambataro went on to marry, and divorce, Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox.
Rumors and Flings
There are official girlfriends and lovers, and then there are the rumored flings – Hollywood is full of them. In 1999, Ben and Salma Hayek filmed Dogma, and it was rumored that they hooked up shortly thereafter. There was also a rumor that Ben was dating Dutch actress Famke Janssen in 2002, who was seven years older than him.
And then there was the rumored romance between Ben and actress Jaime King in 2001. The two were in Pearl Harbor together and rumors started on the set that they were something of an item. In April 2004, Ben Affleck and Day of Our Lives actress Krista Allen supposedly hooked up. Despite saying they were “just friends,” multiple sources told the tabloids that there was a lot more to it than that.
Becoming Bennifer
Two years after breaking up with Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben began dating his Gigli co-star Jennifer Lopez. Rumors that Jennifer and Ben were secretly seeing each other started to spread as early as November 2001, when they were filming Gigli. And thus, “Bennifer” was born. After his share of famous flings, his relationship with J-Lo got pretty serious.
Lopez filed for divorce from Cris Judd three days after she started introducing Ben as her new boyfriend. In 2002, Ben proposed to her with a $2.5 million diamond engagement ring. They planned to get married on September 14, 2003 but called the wedding off. And they called it off just four days before the wedding was due to take place. Why? They claimed it was due to “excessive media attention.” They officially broke up in January 2004.
Meeting Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner and her Daredevil co-star began dating in 2004 before appearing in public for the first time at – whaddayaknow – a Boston Red Sox game. They actually met a few years prior, in 2000, on the set of Pearl Harbor. But since Ben was going on secret walks with Jaime King, he wasn’t necessarily available for a possible romance with Garner, who was, at the time, married to actor Scott Foley.
Two years later, they worked together again in the film Daredevil. At that point, Garner was still married to Foley, and B was going out with Jennifer Lopez. A year after, Lopez and Affleck called off their engagement. Then, in 2003, Garner and Foley announced their separation.
Bennifer #2
A few months later, Jen and Ben were seen together at the World Series looking very couple-y. Ben ended up proposing to her on her 33rd birthday. In April 2005, they officially announced their engagement, and by 2005, they were married. Their daughter, Violet, was born in 2005. A year later, their second daughter, Seraphina, was born. And their son, Samuel, was born in 2012.
The couple eventually called it quits in 2015. Despite their separation in 2015, they didn’t file for divorce until 2017, and it wasn’t official until 2018. According to court documents, the couple wanted joint legal and physical custody of their children. So, what happened between them? How did their union go from picture perfect to nonexistent?
She Was His Backbone
During an interview with Playboy, when the two were still happily married, Ben praised her for providing him with stability. “She is by leaps and bounds the most important person to me in that respect,” he said of his then-wife. “Over the past ten years, she has allowed me to have a stable home life while accomplishing my professional goals.”
But, in 2015, reports surfaced that Ben was in a relationship with the family’s former nanny. Apparently, they flew to Las Vegas together. So cliché, right? He denied the rumors, but coincidentally, a month later, he and Jen announced that they were getting a divorce. Garner discussed it all with Vanity Fair…
Let’s Wait a Bit…
She said: “We had been separated for months before I ever heard about the nanny. She had nothing to do with our decision to divorce. She was not a part of the equation. Bad judgment? Yes. It’s not great for your kids for [a nanny] to disappear from their lives.” For Garner, nothing is more important than her three children.
Both she and Ben are strong believers in co-parenting their kids together. For now, while Garner is indeed supportive of Ben’s newfound closeness with Ana de Armas, she would still prefer to wait to introduce her kids to Armas. At this point, it’s too soon. And it looks like both she and Ben are on the same page in this regard.
He Lets Her Take the Lead
Ben is reportedly supportive of Garner’s decision to wait a little bit longer. While it looks like he’s infatuated with his beautiful new flame, his kids will always come first. No one can deny that the man is a dedicated father. According to US Weekly, Affleck is happy to let his ex-wife take the lead on deciding when a good time for Ana to meet the kids is.
Despite their divorce, Affleck and Garner have continued to be supportive of each other and their individuals, be it films or new relationships. Until now, Ben’s relationships after Garner have been short-lived, and that’s not just the denied fling with the nanny. He had relationships with model Shauna Sexton and Saturday Night Live’s Lindsay Shookus that barely started before they ended.
Dating Lindsay Shookus
Ben indulged in a brief romance with Saturday Night Live’s Lindsay Shookus in 2017. The two went public when they had dinner together at ‘celeb-favorite’ Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica. At the time, the pair had been keeping a low profile and were very much in the early stages of their relationship. Before Ben, the SNL producer was married to Kevin Miller, a fellow SNL producer. The exes have one kid together.
Let it be known that Affleck and Garner are great examples of how parents should behave with each other and their kids after a split. Far too many divorces end up with the kids as the victims, sadly leaving them scarred for life. These two famous exes believe that children should be protected. That’s why we don’t really see their kids. It’s proof that they’re doing the right thing.
Her Audition with Ryan Gosling
For those of you who have seen Blade Runner 2049, apart from the really cool visuals and the dreaminess that is Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas was something unforgettable. Her beauty was hard to forget. As it turns out, her audition for the role was also something unforgettable. Ana recalls auditioning in front of Ryan Gosling.
“I was shaking so badly,” were her exact words. Ana looked back at her past auditions, and the one that stood out the most was the one with Gosling. Speaking to American Airlines’ magazine American Way issue, the actress remembered meeting her Blade Runner 2049 co-star for the first time. “Oh, hell yes, I was nervous.”
She Couldn’t Stop Shaking
Ana, who played Gosling’s holographic girlfriend, Joi, auditioned for the role several times. “I auditioned three times for Joi, and the third time, I knew he would be there. I was shaking so badly,” she explained. “They put you in a room together and make you read things, to see how your chemistry is.” She then said how she wished she had the tape of that meeting.
“I’ve been very lucky because these men are all very handsome, but the best part of it is who they are as people. I’ve had the best partners.” Ana has worked with Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, and of course, Ben Affleck. She’s going to be in Bond’s No Time to Die hopefully in November (if the Coronavirus doesn’t change any more plans).
A New Bond Girl
“Bond girls have been portrayed for so many years with a specific type of woman. I associate it with some sort of perfection and beauty standards beyond the normal. Things that I didn’t match,” Ana said of her new role. She also mentioned that she was “shocked” when the director asked her to play the part, despite the character not being written yet.
Ana said that usually, these Bond girls need to be rescued. “Or they die. Or are evil. I needed to read that script. And it took a little, but they sent me the scenes. It’s important because I want to bring something else to the story.” I’m sure everyone is eager to see her in the role.