Jennifer Garner has never been one to shy away from the truth — and in a refreshingly candid new interview, the 54-year-old has opened up about just how much her divorce from Ben Affleck turned her world upside down, including the toll it took on her acting career.
The split that changed everything
Garner and Affleck announced their separation in 2015 after ten years of marriage, with their divorce finalised in 2018. The couple share three children — Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13 — and according to Garner, keeping their family steady became her number one priority when everything fell apart. Speaking to InStyle in an interview published on 3rd June, she revealed that work simply had to wait.
Barely working for years
Even before the split, Garner had already scaled back her career considerably to raise her young family, taking time out during each pregnancy and the years that followed. But the breakdown of her marriage pushed things even further. "When my kids were little, I worked so little," she explained, "and then we had such an upheaval in our family, that I really hardly worked for a long time." The situation became so concerning that her agent reportedly suggested she either sign on for Dallas Buyers Club — which went on to win the Academy Award — or consider retirement altogether.
"To have this year and a half where I just indulged [in acting] is a gift, because this job is very selfish. It's all about your schedule. It's not about what the kids have going on at school. It's not about pickups and drop-offs and making it home for dinner."
A career comeback on her own terms
Now, with her children older and life more settled, Garner is throwing herself back into acting with renewed passion — and she's loving every minute of it. She stars in the upcoming Peacock series The Five Star Weekend, which filmed on location in Nantucket, and has spoken about feeling genuinely grateful to have this chapter of her life back. She now largely limits herself to projects based in Los Angeles to stay close to her family, making The Five Star Weekend a rare exception.
No mum guilt allowed
Garner is also refreshingly unapologetic about working, refusing to let mum guilt creep in. "When I work, I don't apologise to my kids for it," she said. "I do thank them for being so sweet about it. But that's part of life. Working hard is part of life, and messing up is part of life. Tripping and falling — there's room for all of it." She and Affleck continue to co-parent amicably, with Garner previously saying their children's happiness will always come first.
