The actor joked that the decision was “probably for the best,” adding, “That lesson’s been learned.”

Ben Affleck says Jennifer Garner was ‘very wise’ to turn down playing his wife in new movie

The actor joked that the decision was “probably for the best,” adding, “That lesson’s been learned.”

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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September 25, 2026 3:03 p.m. ET

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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner in 2014. Credit:

Jeff Vespa/VF14/WireImage

- Ben Affleck is reflecting on his ex-wife Jennifer Garner not wanting to play his wife in a new film.

- The actor and director told Jimmy Kimmel that he considered her decision to be a “very wise” move.

- The film arrives in select theaters and streams on Netflix on Oct. 9.

Ben Affleck totally gets why his ex-wife Jennifer Garner wasn’t keen on playing his wife in his new thriller, *Animals*.

During a recent visit to *Jimmy Kimmel Live*, the 54-year-old actor and director explained that his longtime pal Matt Damon was originally supposed to play the lead role in the film and that Garner would play his wife. However, when Damon bowed out to star in *The Odyssey*, Affleck took over the role and, well, that’s where Garner drew the line.

“At that point, obviously, Jen was like, ‘Yeah, great, but no, I’m not going to play your wife in a movie,’” Affleck recalled as host Jimmy Kimmel laughed. “Probably for the best! That lesson’s been learned. She’s very wise in many ways.”

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner attend the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2014.

Angela Weiss/FilmMagic

Kerry Washington later took over the role in her stead, with Affleck describing the *Scandal* star as someone he’s “always wanted to work with.”

Affleck opened up about *Animals*’ complicated casting process in a recent interview with **, wherein he noted that he knew right off the bat that Washington “would be amazing for this role.”

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He also had another more personal reason for bringing her aboard, too. “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,” Affleck continued. “I thought, well, we can coordinate our schedules around it.”

Affleck and Garner, who announced their separation after 10 years of marriage in 2015, are parents to three children: Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 14. The pair didn’t officially file for divorce until two years later in 2017, and finalized their split the following year.

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After taking over the role, Affleck explained that he spoke with Garner about the situation “and she was like, ‘We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage.’”

That being said, the Oscar winner noted that he really would love to share the screen again with his ex one day.

“She’s fabulous, and we’re really good friends, and I’m profoundly grateful to her, and we have a great thing,” he said. “I still would wanna work with her in the future, but what you don’t wanna do is take the audience’s baggage and have it work against you, you know?”

*Animals* lands in select theaters and on Netflix on Oct. 9. Watch Affleck discuss the casting conundrum in the clip above.

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