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ben affleck jennifer garner kids rare emotional comment© Photo: Getty Images

Ben Affleck makes rare emotional comment about his kids with Jennifer Garner

The Good Will Hunting actor shares three children with his ex-wife

Hannah Watkin
Content Writer
March 24, 2023
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Ben Affleck has opened up about a moment he recently shared with two of his and ex-wife Jennifer Garner's three children which he found "the most gratifying experience of my life".

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in March 2023, the actor, who is now married to Jennifer Lopez, revealed how moved he was at getting to share his film, Good Will Hunting, with his daughters Violet, 17, and Seraphina, 14.

WATCH: Jennifer Garner discusses parenting her and Ben Affleck's two teenage girls

"The first movie that I cared about – you know – or was really interested in what my children thought, was Good Will Hunting," the Hollywood A-lister explained during the interview, published March 17.

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The Batman v Superman actor then explained how he has watched the film with two of his three kids. Presumably, Ben has yet to show the film to his and the 13 Going On 30 actress' youngest child, 11-year-old Samuel, due to its R rating.

"It was interesting for me to watch them watch the movie and see how different their childhood is from what my childhood looked like, and to wonder about what that must seem like to them and how distant from their life and reality," the actor continued.

Ben Affleck with his ex wife Jennifer Garner at a fancy event© Photo: Getty Images

Ben and Jennifer Garner were married from 2005 to 2018

Pausing for a moment's thought, he then added the moving comment: "They were engaged and interested, and that was, on an artistic level, probably the most gratifying experience of my life."

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The 50-year-old won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 1998 alongside his co-star Matt Damon for their work on Good Will Hunting, but evidently his children's enthusiasm for the film has made his pride about it much more profound.

Earlier in the interview, which detailed the actor's 'Hollywood firsts' – from the first movie which inspired him into a career making films to the first movie he auditioned for, Ben also revealed which of his films was the first his children watched in its entirety.

Ben Affleck sat with his young son Samuel chatting while watching a basketball game© Photo: Getty Images

Ben with his son Samuel in 2022

"The first movie of mine that my kids actually sat through together was Armageddon," he said, before adding jokingly: "They like movies where they can make fun of me!" The 1998 film, which also starred Bruce Willis and Liv Tyler, followed a group of oil riggers who became astronauts in order to save the world from an asteroid.

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Elaborating on his earlier comment, Ben continued: "They just found the whole thing kind of preposterous – but they loved it, they loved the fun of it."

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