Jennifer Garner: Affleck's Oscar Speech Fine by Me

Ben Affleck's Oscar acceptance speech, in which he thanked wife Jennifer Garner for "working on our marriage" and called their union "the best kind of work," got a lot of tongues wagging in Hollywood. But he wasn't hinting at trouble in paradise, and Garner herself wasn't offended, she says in a new interview with the Telegraph. "I had a friend call and say, 'Are you OK?'" Garner says. But "I know Ben, I knew he meant it as the hugest, warmest compliment in the world. I think he was saying, 'Look, what we have is really real and I value it above all and I’m in it with you and I know you are in it with me.' That’s the way I took it."

"Poor guy," she continues, reflecting on the speculation that ensued. "It’s so horrible to put yourself out there—he didn’t have to worry about it from my point of view." She also addresses the fact that her career has recently taken a backseat to her husband's. "I definitely work less because Ben is so busy, but we have three kids, that’s just part of the deal," she says. "I’m happy for him that he’s as energized about work right now as he is. He should be out there doing it. That’s just what makes sense for our family." Affleck is always encouraging her career, she says, but "for women, the high point of their career and needing to have babies just don’t really go together." (More Jennifer Garner stories.)