Jennifer Garner recalls family upheaval after Ben Affleck divorce: ‘I really hardly worked’
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jennifer Garner has reflected on the time when she and Ben Affleck went through divorce and how it affected her life and work.
The actress, 54, reflected on the past while speaking with InStyle magazine for its new issue.
Jennifer Garner says family upheaval affected her acting career
“First of all, when you're in a performance kind of role, you give up a year/year-and-a-half of performance while you are pregnant, having a baby, recovering,” the actress shared, before further explaining, “When my kids were little, I worked so little, and then we had such an upheaval in our family, that I really hardly worked for a long time.”
The former pair were married from 2005 to 2018 and welcomed three children — Violet, Seraphina who goes by Fin, and Samuel — together.
Jennifer Garner says she is grateful to return to acting
However, now since all her children are in their teen and adult years, the ‘13 Going on 30’ star is focusing on work.
“I'm also really grateful to have this part of my life back. [It's a gift] to have this year and a half where I just indulged [in acting], 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,” she told the magazine.
Jennifer Garner says acting brings her joy at 54
Garner, who will soon be seen in the upcoming Peacock series 'The Five-Star Weekend', also reflected on her age and why she wants to work more.
“I'm 54, I'm not going to be able to do it forever. I feel lucky because I really come at [acting] from a place of joy. I'm not tortured. It's not filling a hole. I just really love to do it. And I love to be around people who love to do it,” she stated.
Garner even admitted that when she works, she does not “apologize to my kids for it. I so 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 asserted.
Jennifer Garner shares advice for mothers balancing family and career
Elsewhere during the interview, the 'The Last Thing He Told Me' actress shared a piece of advice for fellow mothers too.
She said, “You have to raise yourself at the same time. And just be so radically kind to yourself about how imperfect it is. There's no such thing as balance. There's no such thing as doing it right. And when the big moments happen, you are okay, and that's on you to know and understand so your child feels your OK-ness.”
