Ben Affleck’s new thriller Animals almost reunited him on screen with Jennifer Garner. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 54-year-old director said Garner was his first idea for the lead female role, which ultimately went to Kerry Washington.
Animals follows Los Angeles mayoral candidate Mark Kimball and his wife, Abigail, whose lives unravel after their son is kidnapped. The project stalled when Affleck learned, shortly before cameras were due to roll, that Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest was also built around a kidnapping. When he came back to it, his original lead, Matt Damon, was busy with The Odyssey, so Affleck cast himself as Mark.
Why Garner said no
Affleck told EW that working together would have made co-parenting their three kids easier, but Garner turned it down because the film centers on a marriage in trouble. Audiences would bring the former couple’s history into the theater with them, and she didn’t want that “baggage” hanging over the story. Affleck said he agreed, called Garner a close friend and said he’d still like to work with her someday.
He then reached out to Washington, whom he’s gotten to know in recent years. Washington told the magazine she was drawn to the fact that Abigail is a full partner in the story’s uncomfortable marriage, not a background wife.
What to know about Animals
- Director: Ben Affleck, who co-wrote it with Connor O. McIntyre and Billy Ray
- Stars: Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Adriana Paz, Ray Fisher and Luis Gerardo Méndez
- Release: Select theaters and Netflix on Oct. 9
Our take
Garner’s reasoning is a smart read on how audiences watch famous exes. A story about a strained marriage lands differently when viewers already know the real-life version. Casting Washington, who is known for playing sharp, complicated women, lets the film stand on its own. It also shows how Affleck and Garner keep their co-parenting friendship separate from work.
