Ben Affleck and Blake Lively share a complicated history that began on the set of the 2010 film The Town, where Affleck cast Lively as his troubled ex-girlfriend. Despite Affleck’s earlier enthusiasm for Lively’s talent, recent events reveal why he avoided her when she reached out for help amid her legal battle concerning the film It Ends with Us. The tension largely stems from Affleck’s enduring close relationship with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, which influenced his decision to keep distance from Lively.
Early Connection on the Set of The Town
When Ben Affleck was searching for the perfect actress to play a complex role in The Town, Blake Lively, then relatively unknown, impressed him immediately. Affleck, 53 at the time, encountered Lively during auditions and was astonished by her raw talent, particularly her command of the Boston accent.
“This girl came in, and no one had said to me beforehand, Hey, look for this person,”
he told Interview magazine.
“And obviously she was really attractive, and so I thought,
Oh, here comes some blonde girl.
She came in, did one reading, and just crushed it. Like, Boston accent – really good. I was sort of stunned.”
Lively, 38, who was then 15 years younger than Affleck and without significant film experience, was cast in a role that allowed her to demonstrate her acting ability. Affleck praised her repeatedly in interviews, going as far as to suggest he had discovered her and believed she would soon gain widespread attention in the industry.
“I think she’s really going to blow up, and I want to look like the smart guy,”
he remarked.
“I want to say I bought the stock when it wasn’t $500 a share.”
A Relationship Framed by Off-Screen Rumors and Personal Boundaries
While their on-screen chemistry sparked rumors of a real-life romance, the off-screen dynamics were more complicated. During filming, Affleck was married to Jennifer Garner, with whom he had two daughters, Violet and Seraphina—now called Finn. Meanwhile, Lively was in a relationship with her Gossip Girl co-star Penn Badgley. Affleck took Lively sightseeing around his Boston hometown, further fueling speculation about their closeness.
However, sources close to the actors revealed tension beneath the surface.
“Jen trusts Ben, but there is a part of her that will always worry that he’ll fall back into his former playboy ways… especially when he’s working with a younger co-star like Blake,”
an insider told In Touch Weekly at the time. The concern was not unfounded, as rumors and controversies swirled around Lively in 2011 when nude images alleged to belong to her leaked online.
The Nude Photos Scandal and Its Fallout
The leaked photos, which some claimed had ties to Affleck, ignited a media frenzy. Lively’s representatives insisted the images were “100 percent fake” and that she had never taken nude photos of herself. Despite this, further images surfaced, prompting detailed analysis from observers who noted similarities in tattoos and phone usage between Lively and the person in the photographs.
The controversy spurred references in the industry. At the MTV Movie Awards the same year, Reese Witherspoon made a comment while receiving the Generation Award about women and nude images, sparking speculation about whether she was indirectly addressing Lively’s situation.
“When I came up in this business, when you made a sex tape you were embarrassed and you hid it under your bed,”
Witherspoon said.
“If you take naked pictures of yourself on your cell phone, you hide your face.”
A spokesperson clarified that Witherspoon was “absolutely not referencing Blake Lively” in her speech.
Years later, when Garner reflected on a challenging period in her life during a conversation with Witherspoon in 2023, fans believed she was alluding to this episode.
“I think back to going through a very public, very hard moment in my life and Reese was right there,”
Garner said, underscoring the enduring impact of that time.
Why Affleck Avoided Lively’s Request for Help
Despite their early rapport, Affleck has since distanced himself from Lively, particularly when she sought his input amid her dispute with director and co-star Justin Baldoni over It Ends with Us. In May 2024, Lively reportedly emailed Affleck during the film’s post-production, requesting advice about the issues on set and hoping to involve Jennifer Lopez, referred to as “Jennifer” in court documents. The email expressed Lively’s frustration with “wild HR issues” linked to Baldoni and asked for suggestions or notes that might help her navigate the turmoil.
“It’s Blake. Don’t hang up,” the email began.
“I hope life is treating you beautifully. Ryan [Reynolds, Lively’s husband] was going on and on about you recently amongst all that chaos. He was blown away by you. Though he was equally effusive about your Dunkin’ commercial. So know you have a Canadian fan club in my house. And a Burbank one too.”
Lively then acknowledged the emotional toll of the experience and hinted that a making-of documentary would reveal more drama than the film itself.
However, Affleck reportedly did not engage meaningfully with the request.
“There isn’t any evidence that he responded more than a few quick pleasantries at best and that if he could get to it, he would,”
said a second insider.
“He expects to be asked about it in future interviews and is very happy that this all came out after his RIP press tour, but once everything gets out there it will be seen that Ben didn’t really get into it that much and just let it be something that he let slip by and lost touch with it.”
The main reason behind this reticence appears rooted in Affleck’s desire to protect his relationship with Garner.
“The last thing he wants is to start a dialogue with Blake and for it to somehow go public,”
an insider explained.
“He knew that would bring up bad memories for Jen.”
Affleck and Garner, married from 2005 until their 2018 divorce, share a strong co-parenting partnership and mutual support.
“They’re not only great at co-parenting, they’re also supportive of each other in other ways too. Ben wants Jen to be happy and vice versa,”
the source added.
The Lingering Impact and What Might Follow
This episode illustrates how past professional and personal relationships can complicate current dynamics in Hollywood. Affleck’s decision to limit contact with Lively highlights the delicate balance he maintains with his ex-wife and family, as well as the caution exercised to avoid reigniting old controversies. For Lively, the lack of support from a former close collaborator adds another layer of difficulty amid her public legal struggle with Baldoni.
As the legal proceedings continue, Affleck may be called upon to comment on his involvement and his choice to refrain from deeper engagement with Lively’s case. Whatever the outcome, the situation underscores the complex interweaving of personal history and professional life in the public eye, especially when intense scrutiny and unresolved tensions remain.
