Ben Affleck once considered casting his former wife Jennifer Garner as his on-screen wife in his upcoming crime thriller Animals. However, the idea was ultimately abandoned for a reason the former couple believed could distract audiences from the film.
Affleck, who co-wrote and directed Animals, initially imagined Garner as the perfect choice to play Abigail, the wife of the film’s central character, Mark Kimball.
There was just one problem: by the time Affleck took over the role of Mark himself, both he and Garner felt that putting their real-life history directly on screen could bring unnecessary baggage to the movie.
Ben Affleck Thought Jennifer Garner Was Perfect for the Role
Affleck revealed the casting story while speaking with Entertainment Weekly about the making of Animals.
At the beginning of the project, Matt Damon was expected to play Mark Kimball. With Damon attached to the lead role, Affleck said he immediately saw Garner as an ideal candidate for Abigail.
“I thought, ‘God, Jen Garner would be amazing for this role,’” Affleck told EW.
According to Affleck, the role could have allowed Garner to explore a side of her acting that audiences had not necessarily seen from her before.
“She can bring something interesting that she hasn’t [done], that I kind of know she can do, that I don’t think she had a chance to do in one movie,” he explained.
There was also a practical benefit. Because Affleck and Garner share children, coordinating their professional schedules could potentially have been easier if they were both working on the same production.
Matt Damon’s Exit Changed the Casting Situation
The plan became more complicated when Damon became unavailable because of his work on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
With Damon no longer playing Mark, Affleck ultimately stepped into the role himself.
That decision changed the equation around Garner’s potential casting.
Instead of Garner playing Damon’s fictional wife, she would now be portraying the wife of Affleck’s character — a setup that could invite audiences to focus on the actors’ real-life relationship rather than the story.
Affleck said he discussed the possibility directly with Garner.
“I talked to Jen, and she was like, ‘We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage,’” he recalled.
Affleck Says He Still Wants to Work With Garner
Despite deciding against casting Garner in Animals, Affleck made it clear that the decision was not a reflection of their personal relationship.
The former couple, who were married from 2005 until their divorce was finalized in 2018, continue to co-parent their children and have publicly maintained a cordial relationship.
Affleck described Garner warmly while explaining why he would still like to collaborate with her professionally.
“She’s fabulous, and we’re really good friends, and I’m profoundly grateful to her, and we have a great thing,” he said.
His concern was specifically about the way audiences might interpret their shared screen time.
“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?” Affleck added.
Why Garner and Affleck’s On-Screen Reunion Could Have Been Distracting
Casting former spouses as a fictional married couple can create an unavoidable layer of real-world context for viewers.
In Affleck and Garner’s case, their highly publicized marriage and subsequent divorce could have made it difficult for some audiences to separate the fictional relationship in Animals from the actors’ personal history.
Rather than allowing that association to become part of the conversation surrounding the movie, Affleck and Garner decided not to pursue the casting.
The decision also reflects Affleck’s broader approach to his relationship with Garner. While their marriage ended years ago, he has continued to speak positively about her and their co-parenting relationship.
For Animals, however, the filmmaker ultimately chose to keep that personal history away from the screen.
What Is Animals About?
Animals is a crime thriller directed and co-written by Affleck. The project centers on Mark Kimball, whose life becomes increasingly complicated amid a dangerous situation involving his family.
Affleck’s decision to take over the lead role after Damon’s departure ultimately changed more than just the casting. It also meant that a potential Affleck-Garner reunion on screen would remain an idea rather than becoming part of the finished film.
For now, fans will have to wait for another opportunity to see Affleck and Garner collaborate professionally.
As Affleck’s comments make clear, the door does not appear to be closed — he simply wants the right project, and the right role, to come along.
