Skip to main contentSkip to footer
Digital Cover celebrities© GC Images

Celeb Outing!

Ben Affleck hits pause on movie to spend the day with his favorite people

The crew was spotted grabbing lunch


Shirley Gomez
Senior Writer
UPDATED APRIL 7, 2025 1:44 PM EDT

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. 

 Ben Affleck hit pause on filming his Netflix project Animals to spend quality time with a few of his favorite people: his mother Chris, 12-year-old son Sam, and 16-year-old Fin. © Instar Images/The Grosby Group
Ben Affleck hit pause on filming his Netflix project Animals to spend quality time with a few of his favorite people: his mother Chris, 12-year-old son Sam, and 16-year-old Fin.

Paparazzi 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.

The group were spotted enjoying lunch at the Brentwood Country Mart on Sunday. © x17/The Grosby Group
The group were spotted enjoying lunch at the Brentwood Country Mart on Sunday.

 But 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.

 As they wrapped up their outing, Affleck pulled out his phone to record the crowd of paparazzi as they snapped away.© x17/The Grosby Group
As they wrapped up their outing, Affleck pulled out his phone to record the crowd of paparazzi as they snapped away.

"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.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner teamed up with their 12-year-old son Sam for an action-packed day at a paintball park.© Backgrid/The Grosby Group
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner teamed up with their 12-year-old son Sam for an action-packed day at a paintball park.

The 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.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner reunite as a family © Grosby Group
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner reunite as a family

 They'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.

© ¡HOLA! Reproduction of this article and its photographs in whole or in part is prohibited, even when citing their source.