Ben Affleck has noticed a striking connection between his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, and his Animals costar Kerry Washington.
“You and Jen Garner, by the way — talk about twin spirits. You’re the two — the only people I know who regularly bake for the crew,” the 54-year-old actor told Washington during a recent episode of her “Street You Grew Up On” podcast.
Affleck, 54, jokingly said Garner, 54, and Washington’s generosity made him look bad. “It’s like this is the category of people who make you feel like an ass no matter how hard you try,” he said. “Because Kerry and Jen are always doing you one step better with everybody else.”
He also admitted that matching their thoughtfulness while working on set has been difficult.
Affleck and Garner have remained committed coparents since announcing their split in 2015. They share three children: daughter Violet, born in December 2005; Seraphina, born in January 2009; and Samuel, born in February 2012. The former couple announced their separation after 10 years of marriage in June 2015 via a […]
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna get something, like a wrap gift for the [crew],’ and they’re like, ‘So did you get Kerry’s donuts today? Tomorrow she’s doing Halloween muffins?’” Affleck recalled. He described Washington’s efforts as “amazing” and “a gift.”
Affleck and Washington, 49, portray a married couple in Netflix’s Animals, which Affleck also wrote and directed. Garner was initially considered for Washington’s role, while Matt Damon was expected to play Affleck’s character.
“I thought, ‘God, Jen Garner would be amazing for this role,’” Affleck told Entertainment Weekly in September. He said casting Garner would also have allowed them to spend more time with their children while coordinating their alternating week-by-week custody schedule.
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Affleck also believed the film could give Garner the chance to show audiences a side of her acting that she had not previously been able to explore in a single movie.
Animals was temporarily put on hold before Affleck returned to the project. Damon, 55, ultimately could not take the lead because of his commitment to The Odyssey, leaving Affleck to assume the role himself.
Affleck previously explained why Garner was no longer cast as his wife in Animals. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said the film initially entered production in January 2024, with longtime friend and collaborator Damon attached to the lead role while […]
Affleck said he discussed the idea with Garner, who ultimately felt it was better for them not to portray spouses. “We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage,” he recalled her saying.
Still, Affleck has not ruled out working with Garner again. “I would love to work with her, frankly. She’s fabulous, and we’re really good friends, and I’m profoundly grateful to her, and we have a great thing,” he said.
He added that he would be open to another collaboration, but said they did not want the public’s feelings about their past relationship to distract from a film or work against it.
Animals premieres on Netflix October 9.