Ben Affleck, who cast Blake Lively as his ex-girlfriend in the 2010 film The Town, believed she was the perfect fit for the role. At 53 years old, Affleck was impressed by Lively, then 38, who was fifteen years his junior and relatively unknown outside her TV work on Gossip Girl. The actor recalled how her audition stunned him:
“This girl came in, and no one had said to me beforehand, Hey, look for this person,. 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.”
The on-screen chemistry between Affleck and Lively sparked whispers of a potential off-screen romance during filming. At that time, Affleck was still married to Jennifer Garner, with whom he shares daughters Violet and Seraphina, now known as Finn. Meanwhile, Lively was dating her Gossip Girl co-star Penn Badgley.
The Dynamics Between Affleck, Lively, and Garner During The Town
As the film was set in Affleck’s Boston hometown, he personally showed Lively around the neighborhood where he grew up. He expressed pride in discovering Lively’s talent, telling Interview magazine,
“I want to say I bought the stock when it wasn’t $500 a share.”
Despite the positive public focus on Lively, her closeness to Affleck reportedly caused discomfort for Garner, who worried about his past behavior.
“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,”
a source told In Touch Weekly at the time. The off-screen tension deepened after nude photos allegedly of Lively were leaked online in 2011, igniting intense speculation.
The Impact of Nude Photo Scandal on Lively and Affleck’s Relationship
Lively’s representative insisted these grainy, explicit images were “100 percent fake” and that she
“had never taken nude photos of herself.”
However, additional photos surfaced, some pointing to unique identifying features such as star tattoos and cellphone details that matched Lively’s. This fueled tabloid rumors and public scrutiny.
During this period, Reese Witherspoon made a public comment on the subject of women taking nude photographs during her MTV Movie Awards speech, where Lively was present. Witherspoon stated,
“When I came up in this business, when you made a sex tape you were embarrassed and you hid it under your bed. If you take naked pictures of yourself on your cell phone, you hide your face.”
Although Witherspoon’s spokesperson denied it was directed at Lively, the timing and context sparked further gossip.
Years later, in 2023, Garner referenced a difficult and public time in her life during a conversation with Witherspoon, which fans believed alluded to the photo scandal. She said,
“I think back to going through a very public, very hard moment in my life and Reese was right there.”
Why Affleck Avoided Contact With Lively Amid Legal Battles
An insider revealed that Affleck’s decision to distance himself from Lively during her legal fight over the film It Ends with Us was closely tied to his desire to protect his relationship with Garner. The dispute centers around Lively’s conflict with director and co-star Justin Baldoni. The source explained,
“The last thing he wants is to start a dialogue with Blake and for it to somehow go public. He knew that would bring up bad memories for Jen.”
Affleck and Garner, married from 2005 to 2018, have managed to establish a strong co-parenting bond after their separation, including their third child, son Samuel, born in 2012. The insider said,
“Ben didn’t see any reason to be pulled into the It Ends with Us saga. He had nothing to do with the movie. Also, it’s not like they’re best friends.”
They added that Affleck was well aware of the rumors linking him to Lively during the filming of The Town and that reengaging with Lively could jeopardize the progress he and Garner had made.
“It’s taken years for him and Jen to get to the strong place they’re at now. He felt bringing Blake into his life again would be a bad thing not only for him but for Jen too. 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.”
Details About Lively’s Attempted Contact With Affleck
Documents revealed during the ongoing legal dispute show that Lively reached out to Affleck via email around May 2024 while post-production proceeded on It Ends with Us. Although names were redacted, references to a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial, a wife named “Jennifer,” and “Matt” and “Jason Bourne” — widely interpreted as nods to Matt Damon — point toward Affleck as the recipient.
The email began warmly:
“It’s Blake. Don’t hang up. 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 explained she was recovering from
“the most upsetting experience I’ve ever had on a movie,”
hinting at the HR issues concerning Baldoni. She requested advice, stating,
“Could you give me any ideas or notes? I would love for ‘Jennifer’ [believed to be Jennifer Lopez] to watch the movie. It would be an honor to have her take.”
However, no recorded response from Affleck appears in the court filings. A second insider indicated Affleck “didn’t really get into it,” saying,
“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.”
The source added,
“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 Lasting Consequences and What Lies Ahead
Ben Affleck’s reluctance to engage with Blake Lively amid her legal challenges underscores the lingering complexities in their shared history, as well as his commitment to maintaining a respectful relationship with Jennifer Garner. Their ability to co-parent and support one another has evidently shaped his decisions concerning public and private interactions.
Lively’s legal battle continues to unfold, and with recent details about her outreach to Affleck now public, further questions may arise in media discussions and interviews. Meanwhile, Affleck’s focus remains on preserving the peace he has worked to achieve with Garner, emphasizing stability for their family over revisiting past controversies.
