Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have always believed in giving their children the freedom to choose their own paths, especially when it comes to the entertainment industry. The couple, who were married from 2005 to 2018, met on the sets of Pearl Harbor and Daredevil, but they didn’t start dating until 2004, a year after Daredevil was released. Together, they raised three children: Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 13.
Each of the children has taken a different approach to life in the public eye. While Fin has largely stayed out of the spotlight, Violet has become an advocate for global health issues and has spoken publicly about important causes. Samuel, on the other hand, has often been seen at public events, such as basketball games with his father.
When asked if he expected any of his children to follow in his footsteps in Hollywood, Ben Affleck shared his thoughts with E! News.
“You put something on your children when you have a public life, and that’s complicated,” he said. “We really want to give them room to figure out what they want to do.”
He also reflected on the values he and Jennifer instilled in their children, mentioning how Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana Barroso, raise their daughters.
“I wouldn’t push them into that,” Ben continued. “They’re brilliant and lovely and wonderful, and we love them and we’re proud of them.” He added with a laugh, “And hope that they don’t waste their life acting.”
Ben went on to talk about the benefits of growing up without fame.
“In some way, it was kind of a blessing to anonymity, to struggle, to where we started, which was just in the middle of nowhere,” he said.
Fin and Samuel are still in school, while Violet is currently a student at Yale University. In fact, she recently returned to campus after spending the holidays at home. She had spent time with her mother, Jennifer, in Los Angeles before heading back to school.
Violet, who also stars in 13 Going on 30, spoke with WWD at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards. She mentioned how she had taken her daughter and her friends to the event the morning of the show.
“My daughter went back to college this morning,” she told the outlet on the carpet. “So I got up at 5, took her to the airport. Did a little work, I had a huge sleepover at my house last night, I made waffles for a bunch of teenagers.”
She added, “There’s no stress here, it’s all good.” She also joked about her jewelry for the night.
“These and waffles did not intersect.”
Jennifer has also spoken about the challenges of parenting in the public eye. Recently, she admitted to Marie Claire that the hardest part of being a parent was balancing the public interest in their lives.
“Not hard in the grand scheme of what is hard in the world, but tricky for me and tricky for my family,” she said. “Parenting now has shifted. It’s more about parenting with a button on my mouth… You have to let them grow up and make their choices. You don’t get to control it.”