Ben Affleck knows when to call "cut" on a busy filming schedule, and he did just that this weekend. The Oscar-winning actor took a breather from filming his upcoming Netflix project "Animals" to enjoy some low-key quality time with three of his favorite humans: his mom, Chris, 12-year-old son Sam, and 16-year-old Fin.
The crew was spotted grabbing lunch at the Brentwood Country Mart on Sunday. This low-key celebrity haunt is a favorite because you're just as likely to run into a movie star as you are someone picking up a green juice.
© Instar Images/The Grosby GroupPaparazzi Alert: Ben Turns the Lens Around
As the family wrapped up their outing, things got a little too Hollywood. A crowd of paparazzi quickly swarmed the area, snapping away like it was the Met Gala red carpet.
© x17/The Grosby GroupBut Ben Affleck, who's been doing this whole fame thing for a while, had a different idea: he whipped out his phone and started filming them. It was a classic move from someone who's clearly seen it all and knows exactly how to stay in control of the narrative.
© x17/The Grosby Group"I'm Lucky to Have a Great Co-Parent"
Affleck's personal life has been front and center lately, thanks to his GQ cover story, in which he opened up about everything from his split with Jennifer Lopez to how he and Jennifer Garner navigate co-parenting.
"I'm really lucky that I have a really good co-parent and partner in Jennifer Garner, the kids' mom, who's wonderful and great and we work together well," he told the mag.
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupThe Kids Are Growing Up in the Spotlight
Ben also got real about what it's like for his kids to grow up under the celebrity microscope. "They would see something on a supermarket stand, we would say, 'Well, you know, this isn't always true, because if it were, you would have 15 brothers or sisters or whatever the number of stories is where they said that your mom was pregnant,'" he joked.
Together with Garner, he shares three kids: 18-year-old Violet, 16-year-old Fin, and 12-year-old Samuel.
© Grosby GroupThey're often seen around L.A., whether it's attending school plays, grabbing ice cream, or spending laid-back weekends like this one.
Finding Balance in the Chaos
Between high-stakes filming, press tours, and significant life changes, Affleck is doing his best to keep the vital stuff front and center. Sunday's lunch at the Brentwood Country Mart was a reminder that even when life gets loud, the quiet, everyday moments with the people who matter most still take top billing.
And hey, does that mean pausing a Netflix movie to grab lunch and troll the paparazzi? So be it. Ben Affleck's got his priorities straight.
