Not her problem! Jennifer Garner discussed her estranged husband Ben Affleck’s enormous phoenix-rising tattoo during her no-holds-barred interview with Vanity Fair. The Miracles From Heaven star, who was candid about their divorce in the March 2016 cover story, refuses to take responsibility for Affleck’s seemingly midlife-crisis decision to get inked.
“You know what we would say in my hometown about that? ‘Bless his heart,’” the West Virginia native told the magazine. “A phoenix rising from the ashes. Am I the ashes in this scenario? I take umbrage. I refuse to be the ashes.”
Affleck and Garner, both 43, announced they were divorcing after 10 years of marriage and three children in June 2015. In December, the Batman v Dawn of Justice star was spotted on the set of his upcoming film Live by Night wearing a hospital gown. The gown was open in the back and showed off his giant new tattoo of the mythological creature — a symbol of rebirth and reinvention — spreading its wings.
A source at the time confirmed to Us Weekly that Affleck’s fresh ink was indeed real and not for the role. “He got it done at home recently,” the insider told Us.
In her interview, Garner says it has been a tough year or, as she calls it, a “year of wine.” Despite Affleck’s alleged romance with their former nanny, Christine Ouzounian, Jen and Ben have since remained amicable for their kids Violet, Seraphina and Samuel.
“When the earth shakes,” she told Vanity Fair, “you go to what you know from childhood. All of a sudden I’m sitting down at the piano. I went back to church. I sat down and wrote bad poetry all day because I was so sad. I needed a dance class; it reminded me of my fight scenes [in Alias] and how I missed that. I feel the need to be physical and I feel the need to punch someone. You know what I look forward to? I look forward to getting past the pity stage. I look forward to just having a sense of humor.”
