- Primary Subject: Ben Affleck’s decision not to cast Jennifer Garner in his upcoming Netflix movie, Animals
- Key Update: Ben Affleck explained why Jennifer Garner backed out of playing his wife in Animals.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: September 21, 2026
- Quick Answer: Jennifer Garner dropped out of Ben Affleck's Animals after Affleck took the lead role, wanting to avoid audience baggage surrounding their past marriage.
Ben Affleck recently revealed that he almost cast his ex-wife Jennifer Garner to play his character's spouse in the upcoming Netflix film Animals.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker is back with a new crime thriller film, which he also produces and stars in. Fans are looking forward to seeing what he has in store for his next directorial work. However, as it turns out, the project almost reunited him with his A-list ex-wife.
Why Jennifer Garner Did Not Play Ben Affleck's Wife in Animals
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ben Affleck shared that he almost cast his ex-wife Jennifer Garner to play the main character's spouse in Animals.
In the project's early stages, Matt Damon was set to star, while Affleck was only set to work behind the scenes as director and producer. Garner was in talks to play the wife.
"I thought, God, Jen Garner would be amazing for this role. 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," Affleck said.
"[She could] 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."
However, after a delay, Damon was no longer able to star due to this commitment to The Odyssey, so Affleck had to step in and take over the lead role.
"Matt was unfortunately doing another lesser film, obviously, with Odyssey," Affleck joked. "He chose a smaller director and a smaller film and a smaller role for his career, and I think he’s gonna suffer for it. He’ll regret this choice."
With Affleck playing the lead, Garner had to back out of the role because she wanted to avoid the baggage due to their past history.
"I talked to Jen, and she was like, ‘We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage.’ I would love to work with her, frankly," he said.
"She’s fabulous, and we’re really good friends, and I’m profoundly grateful to her, and we have a great thing. 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?"
What to Expect in Animals
Animals follows a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife, who, after their son was kidnapped, find themselves drawn into a web of deception. As they scramble to raise the ransom payment, they’re forced to make choices and reveal secrets that could tear their world apart.
The cast includes Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Adriana Paz, Luis Gerardo Mendez, Ray Fisher, Mark Kassen, and Christopher Woodley.
Affleck co-wrote and directed the film. It was produced in partnership with Artists Equity, the artist-led studio founded by Affleck, Matt Damon, and Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital.
It is slated for release on Netflix and in select theaters on October 9.
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