Jennifer Garner is reflecting on the years she quietly stepped away from Hollywood. She says the “upheaval” her family went through during her divorce from Ben Affleck played a major role in why she barely worked for so long.
Single Motherhood
Garner, who has Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13, with the Gone Girl actor, split from Affleck in 2015 and has recalled how single motherhood impacted her career.
She told InStyle, “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 13 Going On 30 star explained that motherhood alone can sideline an actor for long stretches.
She said, “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.”
Back to Acting
After years of putting her children and family stability first, Garner has finally been able to immerse herself in acting again, with her latest role starring in a TV adaptation of The Five Star Weekend. She’s honest about how self‑absorbed the job can be.
She said, “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.”
Still, she hasn’t lost sight of the role that defined her for two decades.
Balancing Work and Home
She said, “I relate to that feeling of like, ‘Okay, I gave everything to mothering. I’m still their mom, I’m not going anywhere, I’m still all-in.’ I’m also really grateful to have this part of my life back.”
Garner says she’s learned not to feel guilty about showing her children what hard work looks like.
She said, “When I work, I don’t apologize to my kids for it.”
“I do 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.”