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Now that it’s finally out there, it’s safe to say that Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas’ chemistry is off the charts in Deep Water. It seems like just yesterday that the actors were people’s favorite couple during the pandemic. While the world was asleep and indoors in 2020, the actors were constantly spotted going for outside walks with their dogs and Dunkin Donuts cups in hand. The pair started dating after working on the Adrian Lyne-directed movie together in 2019, but they called it quits in January 2021.
Before his romance with the Cuban actress, it had been a while since Affleck dated someone that made him tabloid fodder, but his casual outings with his co-star quickly caught people’s attention. Seeing them together, especially in the photos she shared on Instagram on her 32nd birthday, seemed to make fans even more excited about the movie. That excitement only intensified when the trailer dropped in early March. It’s unclear whether people’s interest in the film is rooted in its plot or if it’s simple curiosity about the former couple’s onscreen chemistry. If it’s the latter, those people are in luck, because they had plenty.
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When asked about the pair’s relationship blooming on his set in a recent interview withThe Independent, the director said: “On any movie when your actors fall in love, you just pray they don’t fall out of love before the end of filming.” In this case, because of the many delays, the couple’s love did survive filming but they didn’t make it to the press tour. The actors haven’t done any promotion ahead of the film’s release and haven’t really acknowledged the project or each other since their split. (Aside from the cardboard cutout of the actress that was spotted in the garbage outside of Affleck’s home.) Fans missed out on the usual charming interactions between movie stars, especially those who are romantically involved, during interviews. But it’s fine because they left it all right in Deep Water for us to watch and enjoy.
In the film, Affleck plays an affluent and brilliant tech guy named Vic Van Allen who has designed technology for drones. De Armas plays his stunning young wife named Melinda, who has an unquenchable sexual appetite and an active social life outside of her marriage. Vic has given into his wife’s desires and in order to keep her satisfied, he allows her to have extramarital affairs with different men. What starts out as a seemingly progressive marital arrangement soon reveals itself to be a series of mind games in which Melinda tests her husband’s ego to see how far he will let her stray before pulling the plug on her adventures. There is a heavy tension between them, both sexual and otherwise. While there’s some animosity on both sides, there’s also a clear love between them, and his devotion to caring for her is evident in all that he does. The couple also share a daughter together, and it’s clear that Vic is the one holding their marriage and their household together, and he does that while also managing his feelings about his wife and her lovers.
Affleck’s character is infatuated with his wife. (Who wouldn’t be? De Armas’ beauty is one of the most distracting and captivating aspects of the movie). That infatuation turns into obsession when Vic’s actions start to indicate that he’s far less comfortable with their agreement than he lets on. He becomes obsessive about his wife’s affairs and her whereabouts and becomes possessive and uncomfortable when she flaunts her male friends in front of him. He starts to threaten any man she brings into their household, and things quickly turn deadly.
Affleck and de Armas’ characters have a tug of war of who is really in charge throughout the film. She exudes confidence and isn’t afraid of openly pursuing other men right in front of her husband’s face. He puts on a smile in front of her and his friends, pretending to be more confident than he really is. “If you were married to anyone else you’d be bored,” she tells him in a scene that was featured on the trailer, and she’s right. Vic seems intoxicated with his wife’s behavior. No matter what she does, whether in secret or out in the open, he still doesn’t want to let her go and he does everything to keep her.
Lyne, who also directed the movie Unfaithful, recognized that there was an instant connection between the two leads in his latest project. The director also said that he sensed that there was an attraction between de Armas and Affleck since their first screen test. Not to discredit them as actors, but the level of magnetism they displayed for one another in Deep Water is hard to fake. “There was a sweetness between them but with an edge,” Lyne told The Independent. He also shared how observant and enthralled Affleck was with his co-star while filming a specific scene. “She was sitting on the bed putting lotion on and bitching at him, and Ben was so intrigued with her. He was watching and could see that she was good, you know?” the director shared. “For the third or fourth take, he just said: ‘I’m going in.’ He wanted to be a part of the scene, and grapple with her. It wasn’t a love scene or anything. He just wanted to be a part of that chemistry.” And that authentic bond between them is what makes the film so alluring.
There’s no denying that Affleck has had great chemistry with other actresses he has worked with previously, and sometimes that led to real-life romances. And there’s no secret that he’s at his best when he stars in a film alongside a strong, and captivating female co-star. He was remarkable and charming alongside Sandra Bullock in 1999’s Forces of Nature (a damn good movie if you ask me). Say what you will about Gigli as a film, but after watching it, there’s no surprise that Affleck and Jennifer Lopez became one of the most famous Hollywood couples to ever exist—and still are. (The pair reignited their romance in 2021 after 17 years apart, shortly after he split from de Armas, and Lopez called off her engagement to Alex Rodriguez.) His performance may not have been his best in the 2003 film, but there was something special brewing between him and the Marry Me actress offscreen.
Affleck also married his Daredevil co-star Jennifer Garner, and although he was in hot water for the way he spoke about his marriage recently, they did spend 10 years together and had three kids together. Gone Girl is the exception. He didn’t have much chemistry with his co-star Rosamund Pike, but that was the point of the movie after all, right? In 2021’s Tender Bar, the Boston native delivered an outstanding performance, probably one of his best in his career, but he had no romantic interest. But in his other projects, he has not shied away from letting the women shine, and in turn, they elevate him and his performances.
De Armas had that sort of magnetic connection with all of the guys she was involved with throughout the course of the marriage thriller. Any time a new friend of hers was introduced in the story, she had just as much chemistry with them as she did with Affleck. That’s what makes her the enchanting actress that she is, though, and what made her the heart of this movie. While most of the attention was on Vic and his reactions to his wife’s behavior, it’s the No Time to Die actress’s face, body movements, words, and voice that stays with you long after the film is over. But this is also Affleck’s power. He knows when to let a star shine, and he’s perfectly fine with reaping the benefits. Watching how he reacts and moves in worlds where the woman is in charge is what makes him so suitable for these roles. They might not land him an Oscar nomination any time soon, but he already has those. Deep Water solidified what I knew all along—Affleck is simply a better actor with the right woman by his side.
The film is arriving on Hulu on Friday, Mar. 18, nearly two years after its intended theatrical release. After watching it, it’s better off this way. Dramas and thrillers don’t usually draw large crowds to movie theaters the way action and superhero flicks do these days, but a Hulu release makes the film more accessible to a wider range of viewers. That’s a positive because both de Armas and Affleck, along with the rest of the cast— including Lil Rel Howery, Rachel Blanchard, Tracy Letts, Finn Wittrock, and Jacob Elordi—delivered solid performances while telling this absolutely thrilling and bizarre story. And as far as erotic thrillers go, Deep Water is a must-see if you ask me.