Jennifer Lopez reveals emotional breakdown during divorce from Ben Affleck

• Lopez watched the Oscar-winning Brazilian film I'm Still Here during her divorce
• Her father's words — "I love you. I always loved you" — changed her life
• She said the experience healed a part of her and helped her move forward

Jennifer Lopez has opened up about a deeply personal moment she experienced while going through her divorce from Ben Affleck, revealing that a Brazilian film and an unexpected conversation with her father left a lasting mark on her.

The 56-year-old actress shared the story during a recent appearance on Films to Be Buried With, the podcast hosted by her Office Romance co-star Brett Goldstein.

A Christmas viewing that hit differently

Lopez set the scene by recalling a period of illness over the Christmas holidays, when much of her family had gathered together. "A couple years ago, I got really sick around Christmas time. My family was in town. My dad, my mom, my cousin, everybody," she said.

The family settled in to watch I'm Still Here, the Oscar-winning Brazilian film that tells the true story of a woman who spends her life searching for answers after her husband vanishes during Brazil's military dictatorship — a choice notable given that her father, David, rarely agrees to watch films.

Divorce, children and an overwhelming moment

Lopez explained that she was in the middle of her divorce at the time and had been thinking deeply about her children. As the film unfolded, the weight of everything came crashing down on her at once. "This woman spends her whole life trying to prove that her husband was really — that he didn't just disappear," Lopez said, growing emotional as she recounted the scene.

"My dad was sitting there and something happened in my head and I just started crying." She added: "I started calculating all of the things with my kids, my experience with my dad, like everything happened just all at once."

A father's words that changed everything

When her father noticed she was upset, he asked what was wrong. Lopez recalled telling him: "Dads are so important." His response stayed with her. "He just kind of came over to me and grabbed my face and said, 'I love you. I always loved you.' And that kind of changed my life in that moment," she said. Lopez reflected that the experience "healed a part of me that needed to be healed," helping her close that chapter and move forward.

Lightening the mood

Ending the exchange on a lighter note, Lopez turned to Goldstein and joked: "Are you gonna cry too? Cry with me! Why are you leaving me all alone?"