Ben Affleck says he's 'kind of disturbed' by how much Jennifer Lopez loves 'Yellowstone' toxic romance between Beth and Rip
Amy Sussman/Getty Images, Paramount Network
- Ben Affleck said that he and Jennifer Lopez enjoy watching "Yellowstone" together.
- He said that Lopez is "really drawn to the romance" between Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton in the show.
- Affleck added that his former "Good Will Hunting" costar Cole Hauser is "perfect" as Rip.
With one of the largest audiences in television history, it's no surprise that "Yellowstone" has some celebrity fans who love tuning in to the Paramount Network drama to see what the Duttons are getting up to.
And it turns out that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are among them.
Appearing on "The Bill Simmons Podcast" on Wednesday with Matt Damon to promote their new film, "Air," Affleck opened up about his and his wife's television habits and said that she is a big fan of the series, and in particular, two of its characters.
"I'm kind of disturbed that my wife really likes 'Yellowstone,'" Affleck joked.
The actor and director explained that Lopez — who he married in June 2022 after rekindling their romance almost two decades after they originally split — was "really drawn to the romance between Cole Hauser and the woman who plays his wife."
On the show, Hauser plays the titular ranch's foreman, Rip Wheeler, while Kelly Reilly portrays Beth Dutton, the only daughter of protagonist John Dutton (Kevin Costner).
Across the drama's five seasons, viewers have seen — with the help of flashbacks — the pair's 20-year on-off relationship unfold, culminating in their impromptu wedding in the season four finale.
Affleck went on to say that Reilly was "excellent" in the role of Beth and had no idea the actor was British as she embodies the character so well.
Miramax
"Jen showed me a clip of her off of Instagram, the monologue she has in the car about the ways to become rich," Affleck said "And then she was like, 'I love this story of these two.'"
"I was like, 'Wait a minute? With Cole? With Hauser? What do you love about it?'" he said as Simmons and Damon laughed.
Damon and Affleck — whose friendship with Hauser goes way back, as all three appeared in "School Ties" (1992) — said they always thought Hauser was going to be more successful than them.
All three went on to appear together in "Good Will Hunting" (1997), while Affleck and Hauser starred alongside each other in "Dazed and Confused" (1993).
"To tell you the truth, I was always mystified that Cole wasn't a giant movie star," Damon said, adding that even at 16, he had "pure, raw talent."
Affleck agreed and praised Hauser's portrayal of Rip in "Yellowstone," saying: "He is very convincing as that guy. I think America believes he is Rip. He's perfect."
It also turns out that Affleck and Damon also have history with "Yellowstone"'s leading man too.
The two, who met when they were in middle school, both appeared as uncredited extras in the Fenway Park scene in "Field of Dreams" (1989), in which Costner played a farmer who builds a baseball field in his cornfield behind his house.