Ben Affleck reveals Jennifer Garner turned down playing his wife in Netflix's Animals: 'You just get baggage'
For a brief moment, Netflix's upcoming kidnapping thriller Animals was on track to put Ben Affleck and J ennifer Garner back on screen as husband and wife. It was Garner who pulled the plug. Affleck, who directs and stars in the film, told Entertainment Weekly that the idea came up late in production, after he took over the male lead himself. Garner was already attached to play the wife. Once it…
Ben Affleck has revealed that Jennifer Garner initially turned down the role of his wife in Netflix's upcoming kidnapping thriller, Animals. Affleck directed and starred in the film, which was initially set to have Garner and Affleck reprise their roles as a married couple. However, once it became clear that they would be playing a married pair, Garner expressed her reluctance, stating "You just get baggage."
Affleck acknowledged that the concern wasn't about their personal relationship, which he described as warm and grounded in mutual gratitude, but about audience perception. He explained that viewers might bring their knowledge of the couple's history into the movie theater, which could detract from the intended story. Despite this, Affleck still hopes to collaborate with Garner in the future.
Garner had initially been considered for the role, as Affleck believed it would allow her to showcase a different facet of her talent. Additionally, the former couple shared custody of their children, and filming together would have made scheduling easier. The film originally featured Garner opposite Matt Damon, but after Spike Lee's kidnapping thriller, Highest 2 Lowest, was announced, Affleck shelved the project.
When he returned to the script, Damon was unavailable due to his commitment to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, leaving Affleck to take on the leading role. Kerry Washington replaced Garner in the cast, and the film also stars Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Luis Gerardo Méndez, and Adriana Paz.
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