Ben Affleck Explains Why He Recast Ex-Wife Jennifer Garner in New Movie

Ben Affleck has opened up about one of the biggest casting changes behind his upcoming Netflix thriller Animals — and it involved his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner.

The film was originally planned with Affleck’s longtime friend and collaborator Matt Damon in the lead role. Garner was also approached to play Damon’s onscreen wife.

Affleck said he believed Garner would be perfect for the role and even saw a practical benefit: because they share children, working on the same movie could have allowed them to coordinate their schedules more easily.

But the project was eventually put on hold after Affleck became concerned that it could be confused with another kidnapping movie, Highest 2 Lowest. When Animals was revived, Damon was no longer available because of his work on The Odyssey.

Affleck then decided to take over the lead role himself — creating a new problem.

He would now be playing Garner’s husband in a movie centered on a troubled marriage.

According to Affleck, Garner felt that putting the two of them together onscreen could bring unwanted “baggage” for audiences. Affleck agreed, saying he did not want their history to distract viewers from the story.

The role ultimately went to Kerry Washington, who stars opposite Affleck as his character’s wife.

Affleck emphasized that he and Garner remain on good terms and said he would still like to work with her again in the future. The former couple previously starred together in Daredevil and were married for about a decade.

Meanwhile, Animals follows a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped, forcing him and his wife to confront secrets within their marriage while trying to save their child.

Affleck directs and co-wrote the thriller, which is scheduled to arrive on Netflix on October 9, 2026.

The casting decision adds an interesting layer to a movie already built around questions of marriage, family, public image and what happens when a crisis exposes what people try to hide.