It’s been 18 months since Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner separated following a decade of marriage.
At first it seemed to be the typical Hollywood separation – rumors of infidelity and excessive boozing, conflicting reports from both sides, etc.
But then, something happened that no one could have predicted…
Weeks passed by, then months, and still neither party filed for divorce.
So here we are, a year and a half later, still talking about Ben and Jen’s marriage, which appears to have been brought back from the dead.
Of course, when discussing their relationship publicly, neither Affleck nor Garner makes any promises about the future, or even confirms that they’re still living together.
It’s a tough tightrope to walk, especially when one has an endless slate of projects to promote, as Affleck seemingly always does.
These days, Ben is plugging The Accountant, which appears to be his answer to the question, “Hey, what if the Jason Bourne movies had the world’s most boring title?”
At a recent premiere event, Lauren Zima of Entertainment Tonight asked Ben about the task of co-parenting with his estranged wife.
Like a master of media manipulation, Affleck gamely answered the question without giving away any new information about his marital status:
“We do our best,” the actor said. “We try our best.”
He then seamlessly transitioned into self-deprecating goofy-dad mode:
“My areas of expertise with the kids [are] spotty at best,” Affleck said.
“Not homework. I only play an accountant in the movie. In real life, I’m badly wanting.”
This is a master class, folks.
Once Ben starts ragging on himself for sucking at long division, Zima would look like an a-hole if she steered the conversation back to his marriage.
It’s the sort of media savvy that only comes from a couple decades in the spotlight.
Affleck doubled down on his approach when asked what items he has to have in his trailer during shooting.
“[It’s] mostly stuff from my kids,” he said.
“It’s the only personal stuff I have — the drawings and art. It’s a good place to hang up the latest artwork to come out of school.”
He knows it’s night-impossible to steer an interview from cutesy kid stuff to rumors that he’s moving back in with Garner.
The guy knows that he’s doing.
They don’t let just anyone be the Batman, ya know?