{"id":263307,"date":"2026-09-16T12:40:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T12:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/16\/ben-affleck-explains-why-he-recast-ex-wife-jennifer-garner-as-his-love-interest-in-new-movie\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T12:40:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T12:40:23","slug":"ben-affleck-explains-why-he-recast-ex-wife-jennifer-garner-as-his-love-interest-in-new-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/16\/ben-affleck-explains-why-he-recast-ex-wife-jennifer-garner-as-his-love-interest-in-new-movie\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Affleck Explains Why He Recast Ex-Wife Jennifer Garner as His Love Interest in New Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Ben Affleck<\/strong><\/a> revealed why he recast Jennifer Garner<\/strong><\/a> after she was originally meant to play his wife in his new movie.<\/p>\n

Affleck, 54, explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly<\/em><\/a> that his film Animals<\/em> initially went into production in January 2024. His longtime collaborator and friend Matt Damon<\/strong> was set to play the lead, while Garner, 54, was Damon\u2019s onscreen love interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, \u2018God, Jen Garner would be amazing for this role,\u2019\u201d Affleck recalled on Monday, September 14. \u201cIt 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. I thought, \u2018Well, we can coordinate our schedules around it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Affleck added: \u201cShe can bring something interesting that she hasn\u2019t [done], that I kind of know she can do, that I don\u2019t think she had a chance to do in one movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck: Look Back on Their Marriage and Split<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tJennifer Garner and Ben Affleck went from being Hollywood\u2019s \u201cIt\u201d couple to navigating a marriage on the rocks while in the public eye. Garner and Affleck began dating in 2004 before saying \u201cI do\u201d the following year. They welcomed three children during their marriage: Violet, Seraphina and Samuel. Despite their sweet family outings over the [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Animals<\/em> was briefly put on pause before Affleck returned to the project. By that point, Damon, 55, was unavailable due to his commitment to The Odyssey<\/em>, which led to Affleck casting himself as the lead \u2014 and recasting Garner<\/a>. (Kerry Washington<\/strong> was ultimately brought in to help bring a complicated marriage to life on screen.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to Jen, and she was like, \u2018We don\u2019t wanna do that. You just get baggage,\u2019\u201d he said about the decision.<\/p>\n

Affleck clarified that he wasn\u2019t ruling out a professional reunion with Garner in the future, saying, \u201cI would love to work with her, frankly. She\u2019s fabulous, and we\u2019re really good friends, and I\u2019m profoundly grateful to her, and we have a great thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He concluded: \u201cI still would wanna work with her in the future, but what you don\u2019t wanna do is take the audience\u2019s baggage and have it work against you, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

The former couple met on the set of Pearl Harbor<\/em> in 2001 and reconnected three years later. They exchanged vows in June 2005 before expanding their family with three kids. Following a decade of marriage, Affleck and Garner announced their split in 2015.<\/p>\n

The duo\u2019s divorce was finalized in 2018<\/a>, and they have since remained focused on coparenting.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy kids are a little bigger [now],\u201d Garner told EW<\/em> in July. \u201cTheir dad \u2014 [my] ex-husband \u2014 has become this incredible coparent. And I have this unbelievable [business] partner who produces with me things that we control and are able to help keep in L.A. \u2026 I love making movies anywhere, but I really want to make movies at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Ben Affleck\u2019s Dating History Through the Years<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tBen Affleck is no stranger to a high-profile romance \u2014 but not all of them have ended happily ever after. Over the years, the Justice League actor has proven that he can still be on good terms with an ex despite breaking up. In a February 2020 New York Times profile, he showed his support [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Garner gushed over Affleck, adding, \u201cHe\u2019s wonderful. He takes care of them. He\u2019s a great partner in that way. And that\u2019s very freeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Affleck and Garner both moved on after calling it quits<\/a>. Garner was first linked to on-off boyfriend John Miller<\/strong> in 2018, while Affleck rekindled his romance with Jennifer Lopez<\/strong> in early 2021.<\/p>\n

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