Ben Affleck and his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, have led successful careers in acting. Affleck’s got his 2026 Netflix movie The Rip, and Garner’s got Season 2’s The Last Thing He Told Me coming in February on the 2026 TV schedule. However, how do the actors feel about the idea of their kids one day following in their footsteps? The Argo director was quick to share his honest take.
Throughout Hollywood history, the children of actors and actresses have followed in their parents’ footsteps into acting and even starred in movies and TV shows together. Celebrities like Drew Barrymore, Nicolas Cage, Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges, and more came from acting family dynasties. However, does Ben Affleck want his and Jennifer Garner’s three kids to do that or branch off on a different path? The Good Will Hunting actor/co-writer shared his honest take to E! News:
You put something on your children when you have a public life and that's complicated. We really want to give them room to figure out what they want to do. I wouldn't push them into that. They're brilliant and lovely and wonderful and we love them and we're proud of them, and hope that they don't waste their life acting.
I can see Ben Affleck’s perspective in wanting to shield his kids from the public life of a celebrity. After all, divorce rumors between him and Jennifer Lopez circulated for months before the official split announcement came about. Not to mention the times the paparazzi captured Affleck looking miserable or his battles with alcoholism being publicized. Even telling his then-teenage son to work for his $6K shoes had people thinking the actor was grumpy.
Moments like these are typically private, but being a celebrity can easily make you an open target to juicy rumors and speculation. While Affleck has previously expressed he’s happy that being a celebrity means providing a lot for his children, he’s still had worries about what fame has done to them. So, I can only imagine the fear the Dazed and Confused actor could have about his children being caught in the public eye.
It appears that Ben Affleck would fall under the “Gatekeepers” who want to keep their kids away from Hollywood life. At least until they’re older. Jason Momoa would fall under this category for not wanting his kids to act, so they can escape the pressures of stardom. It was the same deal with Matthew McConaughey, who “never” wanted his kids to become actors.
Funnily enough, the sons of the two aforementioned A-listers still followed in their fathers’ footsteps. Momoa’s son, Nakoa-Wolf, ended up acting alongside his dad in Dune: Part 3, and McConaughey’s son, Levi, acted with his dad in the Apple TV movie, The Lost Bus. It proves that some kids don’t need a push from their parents to find their purpose, but may still arrive at the same path anyway.
Ben Affleck doesn’t have to worry about his kids pursuing acting careers at the moment, as teenagers Samuel and Seraphina focus on school, and 20-year-old Violet delves into activism. She recently delivered a speech at the United Nations about mask mandates and clean air endeavors following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clearly, the only push Affleck and Garner impose on their kids is to create their own footsteps instead of walking in their parents’ shadows.
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