Ben Affleck revealed that ex-wife Jennifer Garner turned down his offer to play his spouse in his new film “Animals.”
Affleck, 54, shared the casting story during a Thursday night appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” where he told host Jimmy Kimmel, 58, that Garner’s response was direct and final. “Jen was like, ‘Great, but no, I’m not gonna play your wife in a movie,'” he said. The audience and Kimmel laughed as Affleck added his own dry assessment: “[It’s] probably for the best. That lesson has been learned.”
The two actors have history as on-screen romantic partners that stretches back more than two decades. They first met on the set of 2001’s “Pearl Harbor,” then portrayed love interests in the 2003 Marvel film “Daredevil,” with Affleck as the titular hero and Garner as Elektra Natchios. Their real-life romance followed, leading to a June 2005 marriage and three children: Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14.
Affleck explained on Kimmel’s show that both Garner and his best friend Matt Damon, 55, were originally attached to star in “Animals.” Those plans collapsed when the film’s core concept had to be reworked. “Basically, we found out there was another movie with a similar plot mechanic that was also being made,” he said. “I felt like, ‘Oh, I’ve done the two asteroid movies thing. Let’s forget it. I don’t wanna do that.'” Damon subsequently exited to work on “The Odyssey,” prompting Affleck to cast himself as the lead opposite Kerry Washington.
In a Monday interview, Affleck elaborated on his reasoning for pursuing Garner. He believed she would “be amazing” in the part, and he saw practical advantages for their blended family life. “It also has the added benefit of, like, both of us will see our kids more because we do a week and a week and back and forth,” he said. “I thought, ‘Well, we can coordinate our schedules around it.'”
The former couple ultimately agreed that Garner should be recast, with Affleck citing the “baggage” their on-screen reunion would carry. Despite the rejection, he spoke warmly of their current relationship. “She’s fabulous, and we’re really good friends, and I’m profoundly grateful to her, and we have a great thing,” he shared.
Affleck and Garner separated in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2018, but they have maintained a close co-parenting relationship. Last year, reports said that the pair had been “spending more time together than ever” following Affleck’s 2024 divorce from Jennifer Lopez. A source described them as having “a close bond.”
The “Animals” casting episode marks another chapter in the long post-marriage dynamic between Affleck and Garner, who have navigated public life as exes while raising their three children together. Affleck’s comments suggest he remains open to future collaboration despite Garner’s firm stance on this particular project.
Affleck and Garner’s on-screen pairing in “Daredevil” came at a pivotal moment in both their careers and personal lives, predating their marriage by two years and establishing the template of their professional rapport. The 2003 film, though critically mixed, became a notable entry in early-2000s superhero cinema and the origin point of their real-life relationship.
