Jennifer Garner career boost after divorce?

Jul 02, 2015 06:00 am

Jennifer Garner's 4.5-carat cushion-cut engagement ring may last forever, but her marriage has crumbled.

Waking up yesterday morning to the news of the US actress' impending divorce from actor-husband Ben Affleck - announced a day after their 10th-year wedding anniversary, no less - came as a big shock.

I know I'm not alone, judging from the online outcry from fans of the Hollywood couple affectionately dubbed Bennifer.

Sure, there have been rumours that their decade-long union was rocky in recent times, but a divorce?

I did not expect that from them.

After all, they had always portrayed the picture-perfect image of an A-list marriage, one where the pair were often photographed with their three adorable kids, Violet, nine, Seraphina, six, and Samuel, three, on school runs or visits to farmers' markets.

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Affleck, 42, and Garner, 43, announced their "difficult decision to divorce" in a joint statement, adding that they will "go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time".

So what went wrong?

The spark went out? They grew apart? Garner has been taken for granted now that Affleck's an Oscar-winning director and soon-to-be superhero with his upcoming role as Batman in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice next year? A third party?

It's so easy to point fingers, but let's not speculate on what led to the end of their fairy tale romance that began in 2004 after they had worked together on two films: 2001's Pearl Harbor and 2003's Daredevil.

But that's not to say I'm not taking sides.

It's Team Jen all the way for me.

Like Bennifer, I recently crossed my 10-year milestone and I know marriage isn't a walk in the park.

Reports have surfaced about Affleck's stubbornness, his addiction to gambling and his workaholic ways, while poor Garner is left to stay at home with the kids to play the thankless role of supportive wife and dedicated mother.

While it is goodbye to Bennifer now, I really hope this will be the rebirth of Garner the actress. There could be some good in all the bad.

Does anyone remember how awesome and sexy she was on the TV series Alias, which ran from 2001 to 2006?

She was also the epitome of the wholesome love interest in rom-coms such as 13 Going On 30 (2004) and Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past (2009) and she showed off her dramatic chops in Juno, The Kingdom (both in 2007) and Dallas Buyers Club (2013).

But mostly, her career comprised a string of forgettable indie and family-friendly flicks.

PLEASE COME BACK

"I've been home for a long time," the Golden Globe-winning star told reporters in March while promoting her latest movie, Danny Collins, which opened here in April.

"It's my turn and I'm going to go to work this spring."

Please come back, Jen. Stop putting your career on the back burner and start emerging from the sidelines.

Kick some ass on the big screen.

With so many strong women calling the shots now - Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon, Angelina Jolie - it's time to show who's the boss.

After all, success is the best revenge, isn't it?