Ben Affleck revealed that his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, turned down the opportunity to play his wife in his latest film, Animals.

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week, the 58-year-old actor and filmmaker recalled asking Garner if she would take on the role. According to Affleck, her response was direct but humorous.

“Jen was like, ‘Great, but no, I’m not gonna play your wife in a movie,’” Affleck said. He then joked that the decision was “probably for the best” and added that the lesson had been learned.

Affleck and Garner first met while working on the 2001 film Pearl Harbor and later played romantic partners in the 2003 superhero movie Daredevil. They married in 2005 and were together for more than a decade before divorcing in 2018.

The former couple share three children: Violet, Fin and Samuel. Despite ending their marriage, Affleck and Garner have maintained an amicable relationship while co-parenting their children.

Affleck also revealed during the interview that his longtime friend Matt Damon had originally been expected to appear in Animals. However, those plans changed after the project was altered and Damon was later cast in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.

Affleck eventually took on the lead role himself, while Kerry Washington was cast as his wife in the film.

Garner has previously spoken warmly about Affleck’s role as a co-parent. In a July interview with Entertainment Weekly, she explained that Affleck helped make it possible for her to accept her latest project, Peacock’s The Five-Star Weekend.

Garner said the production was initially expected to film in Nova Scotia, which would have required her to leave Los Angeles for several months. Because she has three children, she said she was reluctant to take on a project that would require such a long absence.

The production team later adjusted the filming arrangements, with only about a month scheduled in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Garner credited Affleck with helping care for their children while she worked.

“They can stay with their dad,” Garner said. “He’s wonderful. He takes care of them. He’s a great partner in that way, and so that’s very freeing.”

SOURCE: Yahoo Entertainment, Hannah Malach, September 26, 2026.