Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have an arrangement, similar to Brad and Angelina (although Brad and Angelina are no longer as stringent about it), where if one of them is working the other tries to be available to stay home with their children. Affleck mentioned this during a speech in 2012 in which he bemoaned the fact that his wife’s work schedule kept him from directing the Showtime hit Homeland. He said that “my wife and I have an arrangement where when she works, I don’t work and when I work, she doesn’t work.” Affleck has also said that he’d much rather be working than staying at home being a dad, although he does do that sometimes due to the arrangement with his wife.

That’s why, when Jennifer Garner goes back to work, she gets super excited and talks about it like it’s a great opportunity. It makes me a little sad for her, but then I remember her acting and don’t feel so bad. Anyway Garner is promoting her film Danny Collins, which stars Al Pacino as a famous musician trying to find himself in his twilight years. It also features Annette Bening, Christopher Plummer and Bobby Cannavale. Garner plays the wife of Pacino’s long lost son, Cannavale. You can see the trailer here and the film is out March 20. Here’s some of what Garner said in a recent press conference for the movie:

“I’ve been home for a long time,” Garner spilled. “It’s my turn and I’m going to go to work this spring. I think I’ll work the spring and summer, maybe the fall too, as long as some of it’s at home. I don’t think my deals are done yet so I can’t say, but yeah, I’m about to go to work.”

“I really choose by what I like,” Garner said at the Danny Collins event on Sunday, March 1. “I thought Alexander was a super smart script. Just [costar] Steve [Carell] alone would have been enough, gosh I love working with that guy, he’s just the best.”

“I have had the best luck with costars, I’m just saying. And I’ve only married a couple of them,” Garner continued, joking about Affleck, whom she met on the set of the movie Pearl Harbor, and first husband Scott Foley, whom she started dating after working together on the classic series Felicity. “But yeah that was fun for me. My kids really got a lot of juice out of the fact that I was in that movie. I heard about a little kid saying to their mom the other day at school. The mom said something about Ben and the little kid said no Sera’s mom is a movie star, and her dad just comes along. I was like that’s awesome, because she saw Alexander.”

“Ben is super busy and I’m super happy for him,” the Valentine’s Day star said. “I chose to stay home this year and just said, ‘Go for it babe. Do it all. Do Gone Girl, do Batman, do The Accountant. Do everything.’ I want that for him and I’m happy for him. And he says the same to me. Except that he’s really busy. But he understands that when I really have to do it, we figure it out.”

“You’d be amazed how we figure it out,” she added. “I’ve never been away for more than I think four days. Maybe once I was gone for my kids for five days… I sit down at the beginning of the movie and say to the people making the schedule, ‘Let’s look at this.’ Then I figure out where I’m going to take the kid and when I can get home.”

[From US Magazine]

Those two figure it out because they have a lot of help, but they do mention that occasionally. No shade on having help and good for them for being there for their kids if that’s what they want to do. If they both want to work, that’s fine too. I get the impression that Ben would like to work at all times and that Garner makes him get a taste of life with the kids so he realizes how hard it is.

Here’s a photo of Garner out for a walk on 2-7. I’m pretty sure that’s her nanny and that she’s had the same nanny for four years, which is awesome for her kids.

View image | gettyimages.com

Photo credit: WENN.com, FameFlynet and Getty Images