Jennifer Garner missed volleyball matches, school reunions and the chance to be a “lunch mom.” But there’s one thing she won’t do because of this: apologize to her kids about her work.
In a new interview with InStyle, Garner, who shares Violet, 20, Fina, 17, and Samuel, 14, with ex-husband Ben Affleck, opened up about juggling a demanding acting career with motherhood.
“When I work, I don’t apologize to my kids for it,” Garner told the publication. “I appreciate them being so sweet about it. But that’s part of life. Working hard is part of life, and making mistakes is part of life. Stumbling and falling, there’s a place for all that.”
She acknowledged that her career took a backseat when her children were young, especially during a difficult period that she described as “such an upheaval in our family.”
Garner now stars in Peacock’s new limited series Five Star Weekend, based on Elin Hilderbrand’s best-selling novel. As her children grew older, she returned to acting, she said, while maintaining her determination to protect her life at home.
She told InStyle that she only accepts projects that are primarily filmed in Los Angeles, which allows her to avoid uprooting her children for months. She also said she believes more Hollywood productions should be filmed on location so that crew members don’t have to move with their families for work.
Garner admitted that acting is “very selfish” because the work revolves around the actor’s production schedule rather than coming home for dinner. Despite this, she said, Violet, Fin and Samuel were “such building blocks” in the inevitable missed moments.
“I’m very grateful to have that part of my life back,” she said, explaining that while she spent many years fully committing to motherhood, she’s now enjoying this new chapter. “I’m still their mom, I’m not going anywhere. I’m still in business.”