Flirting is hard — even for Ben Affleck!

During a press appearance for The Accountant 2 in April, the Oscar winner revealed that his own struggles with dating mirror his character’s.

“He’s not comfortable extending himself … like so many of us,” Ben said, according to Page Six. “It’s not easy for anyone figuring out relationships, particularly at the very early part, where you’re trying to gauge ‘What does this signal mean? Is this person looking at me? Do they like me? Am I going to humiliate myself if I go over there?’”

He’s grappling with many of those concerns right now.

“Ben is dating again,” a source exclusively dishes to In Touch, adding that his whirlwind marriage and divorce from Jennifer Lopez, which was finalized in January, “did a number on him, but he’s not giving up on love.”

The actor, who once told the New York Times that his split from ex-wife Jennifer Garner in 2015 after 10 years of marriage was the “biggest regret” of his life, “seems to thrive on the stability of being in a relationship,” says the source. “He’s looking forward to meeting someone new.”

Ben Affleck’s Perfect Partner

Perhaps another A-lister? According to an April 9 report in the Daily Mail, his “secret crush” is Angelina Jolie, 49.

“She’s definitely gorgeous and smart,” acknowledges the source, “but that would be another high-profile romance, which he’s really trying to avoid.”

Partly because of his very public romances, Ben compared his life to a “soap opera” in a GQ interview released on March 25, insisting that it’s “actually pretty drama-free.”

The 52-year-old admitted his “temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private” than his ex, 55, but denied that J. Lo’s decision to share their romance with the world in the 2024 documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told was the cause of the split. “The truth is much more quotidian than probably people would believe or would be interesting.”

If he shared the “embarrassing” and “vulnerable” reasons, he added, it would sound more like listening in to a couples therapy session. “You start going, ‘OK, clearly this person has got these issues. Clearly they have these issues.’”

The twice-divorced father of three definitely has baggage, the source notes. And while “he finds it difficult to meet the right type of woman” and has had issues with dating apps because of his fame, says the source, he knows exactly what he’s looking for — and the red flags he wants to avoid.

“She must be independent, strong in her convictions and understand that Ben’s sobriety has to come first,” the source says. “Someone sober would be ideal, but it’s not a priority.”

He hasn’t found her yet. “But he’s hopeful,” adds the source. “He really does want lasting love.”

As for J. Lo, she may not be moving on yet but is enjoying her time at work.

“She’s having a blast filming her new rom-com with Brett Goldstein,” an insider says of her costar in Office Romance. The Ted Lasso actor and writer, 44, has openly confessed of his crush on her, “and he fawns all over her. She’s absolutely loving the attention, which has boosted her confidence,” adds the insider. “They’re always laughing and joking around. They’re both professionals, but their flirty behavior in between takes has definitely caught the attention of everyone working on the movie.”