Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck know all too well how teamwork makes the dream work!
When the actress became a mom of three, she decided she wouldn’t work on any film or television project that would take her away from the kids for long. And that rule has not changed, even though her children — 20-year-old Violet, 17-year-old Fin, and 13-year-old Samuel — are older. She didn’t even make an exception when she was first offered the role of Hollis Shaw on the new Peacock series The Five Star Weekend, based on the best-selling novel by Elin Hilderbrand, because they originally planned to shoot in Nova Scotia for four months. Jennifer told Entertainment Weekly on Thursday:
“When it was offered to me, it was supposed to shoot, I think, in Nova Scotia. I said, ‘I would love to do it, but like everything, I really only work in L.A. I have three teenagers, and I can’t leave for four months. It’s just not worth it to me.'”
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It didn’t matter that she loved the book and the script by showrunner and creator Bekah Brunstetter. She was sticking to her guns… until the producers came back to her with a different plan! According to Jennifer, they ended up deciding to film mainly in Los Angeles but to spend one month shooting in Nantucket instead. The Alias alum agreed that time around because she has a reliable co-parent on deck for the kids — Ben. She explained:
“They can stay with their dad. He’s wonderful. He takes care of them. He’s a great partner in that way. And so that’s very freeing.”
But clearly not a great romantic partner for Jennifer since they broke up in 2015 after ten years of marriage!
Jennifer went on to say she has no regrets about focusing on her family over her career when the kids were younger:
“There is a time in your life where you just do get caught up in all of that. And that’s okay. Nothing is forever. That’s a season. And it’s a beautiful thing. And I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.”
However, she now feels like she can give more to the acting not only because they are older, but she has an “incredible co-parent” in Ben:
“But I feel like my kids are a little bigger [now]. Their dad has become this incredible co-parent. When they were younger, I wouldn’t have done a couple of weeks away without taking them with me. Now they’re [older]. You can’t really do that anymore. But I can [go off solo and film because of the co-parenting relationship].”
Ben and Jen have come so far since their tumultuous divorce! Amazing! If only some other co-parents in Hollywood could have this level of respect and love for each other as they do now! Reactions, Perezcious readers? Tell us in the comments (below)!
[Image via The View/The Kelly Clarkson Show/YouTube]
