Jennifer Garner Gets Real About Life After Ben Affleck: Juggling Kids, Career, And New Love

Jennifer Garner's Real Talk on Motherhood and Career

Jennifer Garner is peeling back the curtain on what it means to juggle motherhood and a career in Hollywood. In a revealing interview with InStyle, the actress shared how the pressures of parenting and acting have shaped her life and choices. Garner candidly discussed the impact of her divorce from Ben Affleck on her family and career, highlighting the significant breaks she took from acting to focus on her three children, Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel.

“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,” she explained. Garner took a step back from the spotlight after her role in the Oscar-winning "Dallas Buyers Club" and once again after her separation from Affleck in 2015. "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," she admitted.

"Working hard is part of life, and messing up is part of life. Tripping and falling – there's room for all of it," Garner shared, reflecting on the balance between her career and family life.

Finding Balance in a "Selfish" Industry

Garner, who also runs the organic baby food company Once Upon a Farm, is intentional about the projects she chooses. She emphasized that she won't accept roles that require her to film away from Los Angeles, as uprooting her family isn't an option. "This job is very selfish. It’s all about your schedule. It’s not about what the kids have going on at school," she said, highlighting the industry's demanding nature.

Despite the challenges, Garner remains unapologetic about her career choices, expressing gratitude for her children's understanding. "When I work, I don't apologize to my kids for it. I do thank them for being so sweet about it," she noted. Garner also finds a personal connection with her role in the upcoming TV adaptation of "The Five-Star Weekend," where she plays a widowed food blogger and mother.

Navigating Life Post-Divorce

Garner has previously spoken about the emotional toll of her divorce from Affleck, which was finalized in 2018. In a Marie Claire UK interview, she described the breakup as more challenging than public perception suggested. "The actual breaking up of a family is what was hard. Losing a true partnership and friendship is what was hard," she said, reflecting on the personal difficulties of their separation.

Raising her children in two separate households has been another adjustment. "You don't have the benefit of both sides of the yin and yang being in the same house," she explained. Yet, she acknowledges that while there's a sense of loss, there's also something to be gained from the experience.

Since parting ways with Affleck, Garner has found new love with businessman John C. Miller, while Affleck has also moved on, marrying and later divorcing Jennifer Lopez. Despite the upheavals, Garner's resilience and dedication to her family and career continue to shine through.