The past few months, we’ve been “gifted” with tons of “happy family” photo-ops of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck and their Dimple Parade’d brood. I enjoy the pics, like everyone else, but I also acknowledge that the Dimple Parade photos would be much different if Ben Affleck didn’t have something to sell. If Ben wasn’t promoting a movie (Argo), he would be surly and flipping off the paps. He would be unshaven and unkempt and pissed off that the paps always knew his movements. And Garner and the kids would be like they always are – happy, dimply, low-key and “normal looking”. But because Ben has something to shill, he’s been cleaned up, smiley and uncharacteristically happy to see the paparazzi. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize that Ben is playing the “happy family man” for an Oscar campaign.
But here’s the question: is Ben still sliding? And by that I mean… Ben has a self-defeating nature, and he definitely has a self-destructive streak. CB is a big Affleck fan, and even she’s thinking that he’s going to mess up in between now and the Oscars. And by “mess up” I think we’re talking about the standard stuff: gambling stories, drinking/drugging stories, a DUI arrest maybe, or worst of all (in Hollywood), a story about one of Ben’s alleged other women. Star Magazine says that Ben and Jen are actually struggling right now, and that Ben is spending more time away from his family. For work!
At the Nov. 13 GQ Men of the Year event at Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, Ben Affleck was acting like a single man, enjoying his night alone and even heading out for a solo drink at Soho House afterward.
“He certainly wasn’t rushing home to be with his beautiful wife,” an eyewitness tells Star. That’s probably because he and Jennifer Garner – who have been married for seven years and have three children together – have spent little time together recently, thanks in part to the growing success of Ben’s latest flick, Argo.
“Ben really wants to win an Oscar for this film, and he’s become pretty obsessive about it,” says another insider. With the 40-year-old star constantly on the road promoting his movie, “he and Jen are spending a lot of nights apart. They’re at a breaking point right now.”
While Jen is trying to be supportive, friends say they aren’t sure how much longer she’ll be able – or willing – to juggle the kids and her career without Ben’s help. Is he does win that Oscar, he’d better thank Jen first!
[From Star Magazine, print edition]
I’m not sure if I believe that this is Ben and Jen’s dynamic, you know? I’ll buy that they’re spending more time apart in general, and that some nights Ben is in no rush to get home, but Jen has seen much worse from him, and I can’t see her throwing in the towel at this point. They are in for the long haul unless Ben really f—ks up, and even then I think Jennifer will stay with him.
Incidentally, what kind of Oscar does Ben want? Best Director, right? He didn’t co-write the Argo screenplay, but he’s acting in it and he’s a producer on it too. Conceivably, he could be nominated for an acting award and Best Director, but I guess he really, really wants the Director Oscar? Does he have a shot in hell with that one? I’m not so sure.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
The best thing about these children is that they seem so unaware and are so unselfconscious about the cameras. They just look like normal happy children.
+1
Isn’t their marriage always supposed to be suffering? 9 out of 10 times, Jennifer Garner and he are supposed to be on the verge of separation/divorce, if we are to believe the media.
I don’t particularly like either of them (they have unappealing personalities and their acting is awful, especially in her case), but they seem contented with their marriage. Not to mention that, since nothing ever really happens, these “OMG! they are on the verge of a family catastrophe!” stories do get really old.
Anyway, whether he is obsessed with it or not, I cannot imagine anyone less deserving of an Oscar than Ben Affleck, except maybe Julia Roberts and Kellan Lutz.
Not only do they seem content (and normal, publicly admitting marriage isn’t always roses and butterflies) but their kids look happy. I don’t see the 24/7 strife the media or this particular website sells on these two.
I think he has a pretty good shot actually. Argo was the best film I’ve seen this year (so far) and I think he deserves (and will get) some awards for it. Maybe even Oscars.
I give up of Oscars if he win Best Director in a year with Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained), Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master), Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) or even Tom Hooper (Les Miserables) names on the table. Any one deserves this more than Ben and this ridiculous Oscar campaign he is promoting.
Two of those movies haven’t been released yet so it’s difficult to say if their directors will deserve a nomination. Argo has been released, and I thought it was very good.
I doubt Ben will win. I have my money on PTA, but I would be more than happy if Tarantino won. Hooper already won 2011, Spielberg also has already 2 Academy Awards. I think The Master will dominate the Academy Awards in general, prob winning Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Picture and maybe Best Original Screenplay.
Argo was good, maybe he’ll get a nod for directing but not acting. And her career is suffering because she makes terrible movies. At least those kids are cute, I can’t wait to see the lil boy growing up and in little league or whatever boys play.
My friends keep telling me that Argo is amazing, Sure it’s great but I just do not care enough about his acting or his directing.
Oh, I call BS. He’s in show business. Of corse he wants to win an Oscar.
He’ll get nominated for best director I think, but win? No way! Acting nom? Zero chance I think, given the competition just for nominations.
It’s clear Garner’s taken the “tolerating” approach to their marriage. She knows, and knows what she’s doing.The question is, if his cheating goes public, how much public humiliation is she willing to take? Hard to say…
Argo will most likely be up for Best Picture and Best Direction.. Ben won’t get a nod for acting. In all the praise of the movie I have not seen anything about his acting. To my knowledge Jennifer is working in NO with Matthew on that film he lost all that weight for. So Ben is on Dad duty. But I thought I saw a picture of Jennifer/kids in NO but not sure because we see pics daily so it is a bit confusing where they are. I think Jennifer is trying to get her thing going. She is producing a TV show at some point and this film.
And the truth is Ben has been front and center with his family more since the movie. And that is because when you see him with his kids on gossip sites, the write up will mention his film. So it is all good.
I don’t get their dynamic. They don’t seem or look to be a passionate couple. but not every couple has that Hot factor. They just don’t. But maybe they don’t care.
Affleck’s a fairly dull actor, but he’s done some terrific directorial work. If he’d drop the acting or leave it to a minimum, an Oscar for directing is not at all impossible.
Re The Marriage… 7 years is pretty good, but doubt this ‘longevity’ is due to any sort of loving partnership. They probably have an arrangement that works for them, & the kids seem happy. Now she’s given birth to the boy, heck; they may have a couple extra years.
Garner looks genuinely happy with motherhood & uninterested in her mediocre career. I think her own & the kids’ comfort & stability are her priorities now—she may not have her husband’s intellect, but she isn’t stupid.
As long as Ben’s playing around & gambling, etc occurs outside the nest & isn’t too public, the myriad Beautiful Mom & Kids photo-ops appear to suffice for Jen. At least the couple pix don’t reek of Heidi/Seal lovey-dovey overkill. When that happens, it will be time to start counting off the months.
I’m not over his Scott Peterson comments.
I hope he doesn’t win because I’m already tired of the Ben and Jen pony show. 99% of the time they look irritated to be photograped, then were never seen together, he looked like he would beat his mother rather that be papped and yet now he plays happy family man in pics. I hate the hypocracy. If he goes back to mean-mugging after, then I will really write him off as an a**.
And no, she won’t leave him. Her career is basically being his wife and mother to his children. Will he slip up, of course and whether it’s epic or not, she’ll likely forgive him because her career depends on him.
THIS!!!
He and his antics are so transparent and annoying, and you described perfectly. She’ll NEVER leave him-come on, they were multiple reports about him cheating on her this month (even a commenter here gave some pretty inside info).
He is so fake, they are so fake-it’s as they really think the public is just so stupid and gullible.
And he’s a shitty actor. There, I said it.
Fame whores, both of them, I feel sad for the kid, being paped all the time just because the parents need to stay in the news.
If this is true no wonder In Touch went with the Kristen Stewart “Will the Trampire strike again?” cover. Rupert’s marriage was in a bad place before Mini-Cooper gate. I can see Jennifer Garner telling her hubby if you want to keep this marriage you DO NOT hire Kristen. She knows world wide humiliation awaits her and her children if the two were to hook up.
You’re an idiot, do not mention the name of kristen!! She will be in the cast of this new project with Affleck, because she’s great!! And Jeniffer, no need to worry, kristen has more dignity in toenail, than her,in entire body!!
They came to starbucks wednesday and thursday morning in maple street new orleans. It was ben and jennifer alone, i served them coffee and a muffin. Jennifer is working on her new movie with jared leto and matthew mcconaughay. People didnt bother them and left them alone. They looked very very normal and low key. They were laughing and joking together, which makes this article from –the always reliable– Star magazine completly BS!
My friend also saw them on wednesday at the supermarket stocking up for Thanksgiving.
I’m not saying that this is the case, but don’t you think that professional actors trying to project an image would project it every single time in public? Even in a coffee shop where no one was approaching them?
Somebody posted that he has had an affair with an actress one or two weeks ago.
Maybe the Afflecks have an open marriage…
I find him to be the most awkward casual dresser. Those blazers… as if he secretly desires to be a college professor, or he considers “jaunty” a good look for him. Does he purposely turn up his lapel before he hits the streets?
It is clearly a calculated campaign, his visibility, yet if he wins, he might actually think his efforts paid off, instead of feeling that he won it solely on his artistic merits. How sad the whole game of winning the Oscar has been reduced to PR, not just a good film or good performance. I guess the only true merit awards go to the science and technology categories…
I like Ben Affleck a lot and I hope everything works out the way he needs it to, but he isn’t good at playing the Hollywood game. There’s more pressure on actors to create a brand, and he isn’t good at it. I think he’ll be great at a director/writer.
Um have you even seen Argo celebitchy? Heck yeah he’s going to be nominated for best director, it’s an awesome movie. You’re acting like he doesn’t deserve it…I don’t care what his personal life is, he’s talented and I’m glad he made such a good movie.
+1
I must be one of the few people who like Jenn Garner’s lowkey attitude…I like their little family, and I think Ben has realized that he married a person who is good for him. I read an article once where he said that he was fully cognizant of the fact that he had self-destructive tendencies, and that coming home to a “normal” family life helped him put everything into perspective. I don’t care about their acting careers at all, but I love how happy their kids seem all the time. Clearly they’re doing something right!
No, I do too, Solitary. Look at the difference between Jen Garner and her kids and the Cruises (when they were together) and Suri. The Afflecks look happy, Suri usually looked spoilt and petulant.
Nothing about Jenn Garner is lowkey that’s just laughable, pimping your kids out to the media 7 days a week some times two times a day is in no way low key.
What he realized is that he married a peron who is good for his image, since marrying Jen the public gave him a pass for being a cheater and a ass.
Their marriage has had problems long before this movie came out. Ambition is the least of the worries.
Jen’s career? What career? But the kids are cute. I think Ben is a good looking guy, but I wouldn’t want to be married to him. If he wins an Oscar, I won’t be surprised, because Hollywood is largely a popularity contest, and he’s been around for quite awhile now. Love Violet’s (it is Violet, right?) glasses!
“Bun” is a shallow, bubblebrain tool who deludes himself thinking he is a politico. Warren Beatty 2.0.
Every friend of mine hates Ben Affleck so much that I couldn’t get anyone to see Argo with me. I was surprised. I don’t like him either but the movie is really good and he just sort of blends into the scenery.
He will get nominated, as he should, for best director – but he won’t win. He should just be grateful with the Best Director nomination and that’s it.
I don’t believe this story for a minuet 1. Jen is more then happy to have Ben on her photo ops , showing her attention in public taking her to his movie showings so no way is this affecting their marriage.
It seems like the attention he is getting is going to his head and he seems to be even more of a coneited jerk than he was just yesterday, if that is possible…. 😉
Jennifer Garner isn’t even in California right now. She’s out of state filming that movie Matthew Mcconaughey lost all that weight for so she’s not even there to rush home to. Ben stayed in Cali b/c they have an agreement that one will be there always so their daughter’s school isn’t messed up.
Anyway, “not rushing to get home” is pretty weak in terms of trying to sell that he wants out. If Star isn’t even willing to lie & claim he was “flirty” that means there was NOTHING scandalous going on in the slightest & they’ve got no story.
Affleck knows he won’t have a chance in hell at the Academy Award without Garner to co-campaign with him. No way this story is legit.
I know this guy is smart and on the surface “Tall, dark & handsome”ish.. but he also comes off as arrogant, insecure, and the unfaithful type… Maybe I’m wrong, I don’t know. I think having kids helps him stick around, so they have more. Plus, I find him unattractive… his face… big forehead and chin. If he was more down to earth, he could pull of being good looking. Like Tom Hanks is not handsome, but I find him very appealing in his younger days.. since he was so fun and humble.
“Ben and Jen are actually struggling right now”
Ever since she got preganant for the first time when they were dating, they seem to be struggling, and Ben has that expression of “I’m so stuck and there’s no good way out of this” on his face.
He never seems happy with her, and she doesn’t seem to mind if he is misserable or doesn’t really wants to be married to her/ loves her etc. as long as she can still drop his name and tell stories about him as a husband/ father to promote her career.
I think he is a talented guy and who really cares if he is married or divorced. He should get credit for good work.
That part where the Oscar has become a campaign as if this is politics is really annoying.
Man who don’t love their wives should end the marriage rather than living in misery and cheating.
+1 Co-sign!
Actually, Ben Affleck, just like Brad Pitt this year with Moneyball, would also be eligible for a Best Pic nominee for being a producer. So he will probably have two noms, one as a director and the other one as a producer
Doesn’t anyone remember Ben Affleck directed “Gone baby Gone” and “The Town”? Both awesome movies. Plus he already is an Oscar winner for co-writing “Good Will Hunting”. Plus Jennifer Garner totally rocked in Alias.