STARTING OVER
After ending her marriage to Ben Affleck, the actress is finally moving on. How she found the strength to let go and embrace her future as a single mum
H itting the red carpet in a sparkly, strapless black dress at the premiere of her new movie, Wakefield, on May 18 in New York, Jennifer Garner looked thrilled to mix, mingle and get to work. When she spotted her co-star Bryan Cranston she playfully danced her way to him, greeting him with a big hug and some breaking school-play-casting news: “My second-grader is playing Belle in Beauty and the Beast!” Cranston offered congrats, later saying of Garner, who portrays his wife in the darkly comic marriage drama: “I just think she’s tops. She’s so accessible and willing and trusting.” Victoria Bruno, who plays her daughter, adds that on-set, Garner “was always coming from some school play or recital and bringing us goodies. At the end of the day she’s just a mom in real-life, that’s what she is. She’s always there for you.”
Offscreen, Garner, 45, is bravely facing a new life as a single mother. Now that her 10-year marriage to Ben Affleck has officially come to an end—they coordinated their divorce filing on April 13, each asking for joint custody of their three kids, Violet, 11, Seraphina, 8, and Samuel, 5—Garner is “doing OK,” says an insider. “This has really been the most difficult decision for her,” adds the source. “But it’s time to focus on the future.”
After they announced their split in June
2015, Affleck, 44, lived in the guesthouse on the couple’s Los Angeles property while the two co-parented and even holidayed together with the kids. “Jen took her time to figure things out,” says another source close to her. “She had no problem with other people thinking that her situation with Ben was strange. She has been and will just keep doing what she thinks is best for her family.” Despite periodic reconciliation rumours during the nearly two years Garner and Affleck were separated, some sources insist they always planned to divorce and the decision was mutual, while others say Garner’s hand was forced by Affleck’s behaviour. “Jen seems relieved that they finally filed,” says the insider. “For months, she put a lot of pressure on herself to not file in haste. Now, finally, it seems that she really feels she made the right decision.”
Garner, who was raised in West Virginia, has always considered herself family-driven. Close to her parents, who have been married for more than 50 years, and her two sisters, she was crushed when her first marriage, to Felicity actor Scott Foley, ended in divorce in 2003 after 2½ years. She married Affleck in 2005 after they co-starred in the movie Daredevil. “Jen really wanted this marriage to work out and gave it all she had,” says an industry source. “She loves Ben’s brain, his work ethic, his social conscience and his dedication to their children.” Affleck fought for his family as well. “It has been hard,” says a source close to both. “He cared a lot about this marriage and even more about being a father.”
The two spent years in couples’ therapy before their split. Affleck, too, “loves the idea
of being a family but he has an independent streak to deal with and he is better off alone,” adds the source. “He wanted a good woman and family. Once he got it, he couldn’t deal with the day-to-day responsibility.” The actor’s troubles—he went to rehab for alcohol abuse for the second time early this year—became too much for Garner. “She was willing to work with him on his problems not only for the sake of the children but because she loved him,” says the insider. “After a certain amount of time, she realised it was not going to get better so she decided to move on.” Addiction “can take a toll on a family,” adds the source close to both. “Jen was a true constant and—along with his friends—really helped encourage Ben to seek extra support.”
Even after they separated, shortly after their 10-year anniversary, the two continued counselling together and sought a way to make the transition from married parents to exes as seamless as possible. “Jen has learnt her relationship with Ben is better as friends and co-parents, and she is good with it now,” the insider adds. “Time really did help put her in a better place.”
Garner and Affleck hired lawyer Laura Wasser and have been working with a mediator to finalise the division of their assets (estimated at more than $US100 million). “They want to be sure the kids are comfortable,” says a source close to the couple. Affleck had moved out by May 1 into a home “fairly close by and it’s all in step with what they’ve always said was the most important thing: their children.” They split school drop-off and pick-up duties, and Affleck still drops in for family breakfasts. Adds the source close to both: “I think some would be surprised to see how close their relationship remains.”
Through it all, Garner has had a devoted support network. “Jen has leaned on her family, old friends from home, newer friends that she met at her kids’ schools and in LA, and a couple of other Hollywood women who understand what she is going through,” says the industry source. They make time for fun, too. For her birthday in April, “Jen had a dinner party with her girlfriends,” including Reese Witherspoon, in Malibu, says a witness. “She was all smiles and looked great. Jen sipped wine and kept laughing. She received a lot of gifts.”
In New York, the day before her premiere, she slipped out for some shopping on Madison Avenue and dinner with two friends at Greek restaurant Estiatorio Milos. “She seemed happy to have a night out on the town,” says a diner.
She is also eager to focus on her career. In recent months Garner has chosen roles in smart indies, which also have the advantage of not taking her away from her family for long. She shot Wakefield and the upcoming The Tribes of Palos Verdes in LA; Affleck held down the home front when she travelled to Atlanta, Georgia, for a few weeks just after their divorce filing to film the drama Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. “I truly have never seen her seem so carefree and happy,” says a set source. “She was so nice to everybody. She was always chatting and laughing with people on the set.” She also voices Mama Llama in the upcoming Netflix animated series Llama Llama, based on the bestselling children’s books. Affleck says he would be thrilled to direct Garner in the future. “I would love to, are you kidding me?” the Oscar winner told WHO. “I think that would be great. The problem that gets in the way is that one of us has to be looking after the kids at home.”
As for moving on romantically, Garner “will eventually date, but it will be a while before she does,” says the insider. “She’s certainly not jumping up and down screaming, ‘I’m single!’ and planning dates. She still says Ben was the love of her life.” Affleck “is not seeing anyone seriously,” says a source. Getting married again “is the last thing on Jen’s mind now,” adds the industry source. “But she is a woman who likes a secure family, so the future is wide open.” For now, Garner’s happiness can be found at home. “She seems happy to be single and able to move forward,” adds the insider. “She has a very positive attitude about the future.”
“Jen and Ben have a solid friendship and are understanding of each other”