Ben Affleck is open about his past with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
The Oscar winner discussed his effort to cast the Alias star in his sixth directorial project Animals, which revolves around the kidnapping of a Los Angeles mayoral candidate’s son.
Garner was set to portray the candidate’s wife, whose marriage faces challenges.
“I thought, ‘God, Jen Garner would be amazing for this role,'” Affleck shared with Entertainment Weekly in an interview released on Sept. 14, noting there was also the “added benefit” of being able to spend more time with their children Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14. “I thought, ‘Well, we can coordinate our schedules around it.’
However, the Argo director’s plans began to unravel when production was delayed to a later date, and his longtime friend Matt Damon could no longer take on the husband role due to his filming schedule for The Odyssey.
When Affleck ultimately decided to step in and take Damon’s place in the role, he “talked to Jen, and she was like, ‘We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage.'” Therefore, she chose not to play an onscreen couple with her ex.
