Jennifer Garner’s scathing retort to Ben Affleck over their on-screen reunion

Jennifer Garner didn’t hold back when her ex-husband, Ben Affleck, suggested they play husband and wife in his upcoming film Animals.

Jennifer Garner didn’t hold back when her ex-husband, Ben Affleck, suggested they play husband and wife in his upcoming film Animals.

Garner had originally signed on to star in the film as the wife of a mayoral candidate, with Matt Damon initially cast in the lead role.

However, when Damon dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with another project, Affleck stepped in to take over the lead role himself. The casting change meant Affleck and Garner would potentially be playing a married couple on screen — an idea Garner wasn’t interested in.

According to Affleck, when he raised the possibility with her, Garner responded, “We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage.”

Garner eventually withdrew from the project, and the role was later taken over by Kerry Washington.

Garner and Affleck were married from 2005 to 2018 and have maintained a strong relationship since their divorce, frequently spending time together for the sake of their three children.

The former couple had also worked together on screen several times before and during their marriage, including in Pearl Harbor, Daredevil, and Elektra.

Despite the recasting, Affleck said he would still love to work with Garner again in the future, describing her as “fabulous.”

He also acknowledged that avoiding the “baggage” associated with their public history was ultimately the right decision for this particular story, given the on-screen dynamic the film required.