Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Reunite for 'Animals' Premiere Amidst Personal Revelations
The stars walked the red carpet in Los Angeles for their new film, while Affleck shared anecdotes about his children's dismissive relationship advice.
Ben Affleck was joined by his longtime friend and collaborator Matt Damon, along with Damon's wife Luciana Barroso, at the Los Angeles premiere of their new film, "Animals," on Thursday. Affleck, 54, also recently shared that his children disregard his relationship advice, a situation he attributed to his past two marriages.
Affleck, who is directing himself for the fifth time, plays Mark in the crime thriller, which is set to be released on Netflix on October 9. He co-wrote the film, which involves a mayoral candidate and his wife resorting to extreme measures to pay their son's ransom.
Damon was originally cast in the role but withdrew due to scheduling conflicts with another film. He opted for a pinstripe black suit for the premiere, while his wife, Luciana Barroso, wore a red suit. Affleck appeared in a black suit with a striped blue shirt.
Also in attendance was co-star Kerry Washington, 49, who plays Affleck's wife in the film. She wore a long white gown and accessorized with a zebra print clutch.
Affleck revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) was used in the making of "Animals." "I used [AI] for lots of things in that movie," he stated, emphasizing that the film is a "very human movie" and not reliant on visual effects. He noted that AI allowed the production to move more quickly, particularly in post-production.
Regarding his personal life, Affleck, who shares three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, recounted instances where his children have responded sarcastically to his attempts to offer relationship advice. He cited a moment where his 17-year-old son responded to his advice by asking, "Oh, like you're the expert on relationships?"
Affleck and Garner were married from 2005 until their divorce was finalized in 2018. He was later married to Jennifer Lopez from 2022 to 2024.
He explained that he initially considered casting Garner as his love interest in "Animals" due to her suitability for the role and the potential for coordinating schedules around their children. However, he ultimately decided against it, realizing that portraying a rocky marriage onscreen might be complicated given their history.
"I talked to Jen, and she was like, 'We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage,'" Affleck said, referring to the audience's perception of their past relationship.