Jennifer Garner's cutting reply after Ben Affleck's casting change

Jennifer Garner didn't hold back when her ex-husband Ben Affleck floated the idea of playing her on-screen husband.

Garner, 54, had originally signed on to star in Affleck's upcoming film Animals as the wife of a mayoral candidate, with Matt Damon originally cast in the lead role.

When Damon dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with another project, Affleck decided to take over the lead role himself. That shift meant he and Garner would potentially be playing husband and wife on screen, something Garner made clear she wasn't interested in.

According to Affleck, when he brought up the idea, Garner went, "We don't wanna do that. You just get baggage." She ultimately exited the project shortly after, and the role went to Kerry Washington instead.

Garner and Affleck were married from 2005 to 2018 and have remained close since their divorce, frequently spending time together for the sake of their three children.

The two previously appeared on screen together several times before marrying, including in Pearl Harbor, Daredevil, and Elektra.

Despite the recasting, Affleck said he'd still love to work with Garner again in the future, calling her "fabulous".

He noted that avoiding the "baggage" of their public history was ultimately the right call for this particular story, given the on-screen dynamic the film called for.