Ben Affleck may have jumped into the dating pool head first, but Jennifer Garner is going about things a different way. The actors announced their separation in 2015 after 10 years of marriage and filed for divorce this spring; Garner however, says she isn’t ready for a relationship.
“I would not have chosen this life for myself or for my kids,” Garner, 45, explains to news.com.au. “I would not choose to be single or be in this position. It’s something that we are working through.”
Affleck, 45, went public with his girlfriend, Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus, this summer.
“I haven’t been on a date and I am not interested in dating,” she tells the outlet, apparently shaking her head. “People want to set me up and I am just like, ‘No thank you!’”
Garner and the Justice League actor have the co-parenting thing down, as they share three children together: Violet, 11, Seraphina, 8, and Sam, 5. With two daughters, Garner explains she is conscious of the conversations she has with them about men.
“We can’t lump all men into [the same category],” she says. “We can’t just assume that every man has done something awful or that every man is guilty; due process is important and has to take place.”
In her new film The Tribes of Palos Verdes, Garner plays a woman whose husband cheats on her. Affleck was alleged to have been unfaithful in their marriage — something he has denied — and Garner says it was therapeutic to play the role.
“Was it cathartic? Yes it was, actually. I didn’t know that it would be, but it was. I know I need to work through some things,” she reveals. “Of course, it was a really emotional performance and that made me nervous because I felt like people would say, ‘Oh, she’s just playing out [her feelings]. But you can believe what you want to believe.”
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck after announcing plans to divorce. (Photo: BG004/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
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Affleck and Garner have an amicable relationship, and they will spend the holidays together with their kids.
“We will all be together for Thanksgiving. I love Ben, I wouldn’t want him to….” she says, trailing off. “We will be together with our kids and give them a special Christmas. We get along really well and it’s not an issue. We are friends; we can manage it.”
The pair is still close enough that, according People, Garner is the person Affleck leaned on after allegedly suffering a relapse in September. “He asked for help,” a family source claimed, adding, “He wants to be sober.”
In March, Affleck revealed he completed a stint in rehab for alcohol. “I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction, something I’ve dealt with in the past and will continue to confront,” Affleck shared on Facebook. “I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step.”While Affleck has “had a rough year” both personally and professionally, People‘s source claims “at the moment, he is doing great. He seems more honest with himself.”
Adds the source, “For Jen, it’s simple. She wants Ben to be the best dad possible to their kids. … She wants Ben to be healthy.”
Sounds like he will be well supported over the holidays.