Ben Affleck explains decision to recast ex-wife Jennifer Garner as love interest in new movie

Ben Affleck decided to recast his ex-wife Jennifer Garner as his love interest in his new movie “Animals” because he thought the on-screen pairing would come with a lot of “baggage.”

“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?” the filmmaker told Entertainment Weekly Monday.

In the interview, Affleck explained that “Animals” initially went into production in January 2024 with his longtime collaborator and friend Matt Damon set to play the lead.

That’s why he had Garner in mind to play the love interest role.

“I thought, ‘God, Jen Garner would be amazing for this role,’” he recalled. “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.”

Casting her in the project would also make co-parenting their three kids easier for them.

“It also has the added benefit of, like, both of us will see our kids more because we do a week and a week and back and forth. I thought, ‘Well, we can coordinate our schedules around it.’”

However, “Animals” was briefly put on pause before Affleck returned to the project, and by that point Damon was unavailable due to his commitment to “The Odyssey.”

Affleck ultimately cast himself as the lead and recasted Garner with Kerry Washington to portray a complicated marriage in the film, which follows a mayoral candidate and his wife as they scramble to raise ransom while confronting a web of dark secrets.

The Oscar winner noted that he and Garner were in agreement on the decision.

“I talked to Jen, and she was like, ‘We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage.’”

Affleck also made it clear that he would love to work with his ex on another project and gushed over their friendship.

“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.”

The former couple met on the set of “Pearl Harbor” in 2001 and reconnected three years later.

They tied the knot in June 2005 and soon welcomed their kids: Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14.

Affleck and Garner, both 54, split in 2015. However, they didn’t finalize their divorce until 2018.

The exes have remained close since their split, and they’re often spotted hanging out with their kids.

Back in June, the “Juno” actress shared an emotional Father’s Day tribute to Affleck.

“I see the way my kids dote on their dad and I’m happy for them,” she captioned never-before-seen snaps of the actor with their children. “To love and be loved by a great dad is a gift.”