Jennifer Garner has missed volleyball games, school pickups and chances to be “Lunch Mom.” But there’s one thing she won’t do because of it: apologize to her children for working.
In a new interview with InStyle, Garner, who shares Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 14, with ex-husband Ben Affleck, opened up about balancing a demanding an acting career with motherhood.
“When I work, I don’t apologize to my kids for it,” Garner told the outlet. “I do thank them for being so sweet about it. But that’s part of life. Working hard is part of life, and messing up is part of life. Tripping and falling — there’s room for all of it.”
She acknowledged that her career took a back seat when her children were young, especially during a difficult period that she described as “such an upheaval in our family.”
Now, Garner is starring in Peacock’s new limited series, “The Five-Star Weekend,” based on Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling novel. As her children have gotten older, she says she’s embraced acting again while remaining intentional about protecting her life at home.
She told InStyle she only accepts projects that are primarily filmed in Los Angeles, allowing her to avoid uprooting her children for months at a time. She also said she believes more Hollywood productions should film locally so crew members don’t have to relocate their families for work.
Garner admitted acting is “very selfish” because jobs revolve around the actor’s production schedule rather than making it home for dinner. Even so, she said Violet, Fin and Samuel have been “such bricks” through the inevitable missed moments.
“I’m really grateful to have this part of my life back,” she said, explaining that while she devoted herself fully to motherhood for years, she’s now enjoying this new chapter. “I’m still their mom, I’m not going anywhere. I’m still all in.”
