Ben Affleck nearly cast his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, as his on-screen wife in “Animals,” the Netflix kidnapping thriller he directs and stars in, before the two agreed the pairing would distract audiences.
Affleck described the casting saga in an Entertainment Weekly interview published Sept. 14. Garner was first attached to play Abigail opposite Matt Damon, who was set to star as Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped. Affleck said Garner could show something she has rarely had the chance to do in one film. He also pointed to a practical benefit: the former couple split custody of their three children week on, week off, so a shared shoot would let both see the kids more.
The plan fell apart. Affleck shelved the project two weeks before production after learning Spike Lee was making his own kidnapping thriller, “Highest 2 Lowest,” for A24. He wanted to avoid the headwinds. When he revived the script months later, Damon had committed to Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” and Affleck stepped into the lead himself. He joked that Damon picked a lesser film and will regret it.
Casting Garner opposite Affleck briefly stayed on the table. She rejected the idea. “We don’t want to do that. You just get baggage,” Affleck recalled her saying. He agreed that audiences’ preconceptions could work against the film. He said he still wants to work with her someday, calling her a good friend and expressing deep gratitude for her.
The two share a screen history. They co-starred in “Pearl Harbor” in 2001 and “Daredevil” in 2003. They married in 2005, split in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2018.
Kerry Washington took the role. She told the magazine she was drawn to the couple’s strained dynamic and to watching a marriage respond to crisis, which can push partners together or apart. Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Luis Gerardo Méndez and Adriana Paz round out the cast. Affleck co-wrote the script with Connor McIntyre and Billy Ray, and the film is his sixth as director.
“Animals” plays in select theaters before streaming on Netflix on Oct. 9.
