Skip to content 
Ben Affleck has revealed that he still wants to reunite with Jennifer Garner on film, despite his decision to cast his ex-wife as the troubled spouse in his new thriller Animals.
The 54-year-old actor and director had originally expected Jennifer, also 54, and his longtime friend Matt Damon, 55, to star in the Netflix political thriller, which was picked up in select theaters and streaming services on Friday (26.10.26).
But Matt’s commitment to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey led to Ben taking the lead role and Kerry Washington, 49, eventually being cast as his wife.
In an interview with Variety, Ben said, “Fantasy has to be at the core of movies.”
He added about Jennifer: “And I still want to find something to do with (Jennifer).”
Animals, which Ben directed and co-wrote, follows Los Angeles mayoral candidate Mark Kimball and his wife Abigail after their son is kidnapped.
As the secrets of their marriage are revealed and the crisis threatens to destroy the life they have built, the couple desperately tries to raise the ransom.
After Ben returned to the project without Matt, he discussed the implications of casting Jennifer as his wife to GQ.
He said, “I talked to Jen at that point and she said, ‘Yeah, we can’t do it…’ Speaking of backlash and audience perception – history has shown that’s a bad idea because the audience takes all of this in a negative way. I’d love to work with Jennifer Garner, but she’s great.”
Ben and Jennifer separated in 2015 after 10 years of marriage and finalized their divorce in 2018.
They have three children: Violet (20), Finn (17), and Samuel (14).
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about his decision not to cast Jennifer in September, Ben said, “Honestly, I would love to work with her. She’s great, we’re really good friends, and I really appreciate her and we have a great thing going.”
“I would love to work with her in the future, but what you don’t want to do is take the burden from the audience and use it against you, you know?”
The former couple has previously appeared together on screen.
They both appeared in the 2001 blockbuster film Pearl Harbor and then starred opposite each other in the 2003 superhero film Daredevil. In this film, Ben played the title character and Jennifer played Elektra Natchios.
Ben’s career also includes Gone Girl, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the Oscar-winning directing and producing success Argo.
He and Matt won an original screenplay award for their groundbreaking 1997 film Good Will Hunting.
This week Ben and Kerry recreated the film’s famous bar scene as part of a promotional campaign for Animals, with Kerry taking on the role of Matt in the sequence.
The actor has also spoken about his personal life while promoting the film, including the deaths of his parents this year and his determination to put his children first.
Ben told GQ that the experience made him think about death, family, and how he wanted to spend his time.
His latest film comes after the end of his second marriage to Jennifer Lopez, 57.
Ben and Jennifer got married in 2022 after rekindling their relationship nearly two decades after ending their original engagement, but their divorce was finalized in 2025.