Ben Affleck Reveals He’s Super Neurotic, “Not Very Present” Dad
“I don’t want to be a stay-at-home dad,” Ben Affleck says in the new issue of Details – and that’s probably a good thing, since he also says he takes up space more than he actually pays attention when his kids are taking baths.
The Argo director/star, who has three children with wife Jennifer Garner, says, “Work is very important to me. I like to work. But I need my work to mean something to me in order for me to not be home with them.” His youngest child, Samuel, is 6 months old; Violet is 6; Seraphina is 3.
“Anytime you think, ‘I’m wasting my time here,’ the first thought you have is, ‘I could go home and be with my kids,’” he says of balancing work and family. “Now, you may go home and be with your kids and very quickly start thinking, ‘I wonder what’s on the work front?’”
“I am not very present in the rest of my life. My wife’s very patient. She does everything,” he continues. “If I have time, I try to spend time with the kids, even if just to be a physical presence, the bath, whatever.” But even then, he has trouble focusing on the task at hand; “My mind’s always going, ‘How are we going to light that show tomorrow? What’s the master shot for that scene? Is there even going to be a master?’” he says. “Just ruminating endlessly. Because for me — I wish it was discipline or being a great artist. But it’s just anxiety.”
Umm…yikes. Ben, why you so stressed out? It’s gonna be okay. Your movies are awesome and your kids have a mom who’s got her shit together.
Strangely, Jen said in an interview earlier this summer that Ben wants even more kids. “The fact that Ben wants another is true,” she said – but added, “I can tell you that would be a pretty uphill battle with me. I am not anticipating having any more kids!” Well, duh. If she “does everything” with the kids and also takes the time to star in movies where she pretends she can’t have kids, she needs a break!
This whole thing stresses me out.
