NEWSBen Affleck Would 'Love' to Direct 'Fabulous' Ex-Wife Jennifer Garner in a Movie After She Turned Down Role in 'Animals'
Ben Affleck expressed a strong desire to collaborate with his former wife Jennifer Garner despite her declining a role in his film 'Animals.'
Oct. 5 2026, Published 7:56 a.m. ET
Ben Affleck is not giving up on working with ex-wife Jennifer Garner after she turned him down for a role in his new movie Animals.
"I would love to work with her, frankly," Affleck said in a September interview. "She's fabulous, and we're really good friends, and I'm profoundly grateful to her, and we have a great thing."
Garner Was Almost His Leading Lady
Ben Affleck eyed Jennifer Garner for his film's female lead, noting their shared schedule would also benefit their children.
Garner was originally considered for the role of Affleck's onscreen wife in Animals.
"I thought, 'God, Jen Garner would be amazing for this role,'" recalled the two-time Academy Award winner.
The project initially had Matt Damon lined up for the lead role, but when scheduling conflicts with The Odyssey made him unavailable, Affleck stepped in to star himself.
The 54-year-old especially liked the idea of collaborating with Garner because it meant the two could work around their three children's schedules.
The Exes Saw One Problem
Jennifer Garner turned down the opportunity, arguing their real-life marital history would create distracting baggage for the audience.
There was just one complication: Affleck and Garner would be playing a married couple, with their own real-life history lingering in the background.
"I talked to Jen, and she was like, 'We don't wanna do that. You just get baggage,'" the Good Will Hunting alum recalled.
The two ultimately decided it was better to avoid giving audiences another reason to focus on their real-life relationship.
"I still would wanna work with her in the future, but what you don't want to do is take the audience's baggage and have it work against you, you know?" maintained the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice star.
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Affleck and Garner Have Worked Together in the Past
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner already have a history of working together, having co-starred in projects like 'Pearl Harbor' and 'Daredevil.'
Affleck and Garner are hardly strangers to sharing a set.
The former couple first worked together on Pearl Harbor before appearing opposite each other in Daredevil. Garner later reprised her role as Elektra in Elektra, while Affleck returned as Matt Murdock for the film.
The Hollywood mainstays married in 2005 and divorced in 2017. They now co-parent their three children, Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel.
Kerry Washington Got the Call
Kerry Washington ultimately secured the role, earning high praise from Ben Affleck for her performance in the thriller.
Garner ultimately left the project, and Kerry Washington took over the role.
In Animals, Washington plays Affleck’s wife as the couple is plunged into a nightmare when their son is kidnapped, and they’re forced to come up with the ransom.
The high-stakes crisis puts the husband's Los Angeles mayoral campaign in jeopardy while threatening to tear their marriage apart.
Speaking of Washington's acting abilities, Affleck gushed, "She's very polished, but she's also very warm. I thought, 'Oh my God, she's amazing for this.'"
Affleck directed and co-wrote the Netflix thriller, which also stars Steven Yeun and Gillian Anderson.
Animals arrives on Netflix October 9.
