Jennifer Garner Reveals How “Sweet” Matthew McConaughey Helped Her Juggle Motherhood and Acting

Jennifer Garner Reveals How “Sweet” Matthew McConaughey Helped Her Juggle Motherhood and Acting

"He said, 'You can do both. You’ve got it. You can do it.'"

If it weren’t for Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner might have quit acting for good.

In a recent PBS interview with Kelly Corrigan, Garner recalled being ready to quit Dallas Buyers Club, and how she was talked out of it by McConaughey.

The Alias alum, who also starred alongside McConaughey in 2009’s Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, shared how her career had taken a back seat after having her three children with ex-husband Ben Affleck. She had just welcomed her son Samuel when her agent encouraged her to take a role in Dallas Buyers Club because she has "taken so much time" away from acting to focus on her family.

But filming Oscar-nominated biopic proved challenging for Garner, who was still breastfeeding a nine-month-old Samuel when production began.

“My boobs were freaking out,” she said of her breaking point during a particularly hard day of filming. “It was bedtime and we were doing some scene that was supposed to be light and I started crying and I was like, ‘I have to quit. I have to go home and be with my kids. I just can’t do this anymore.’”

"And sweet Matthew McConaughey pulled me aside and said, 'What is going on with you?' " Garner remembered.

McConaughey then asked the crew to take a break so she could pump in private.

"And from then on, whenever I needed to, I would give him a sign and I would go take care of it," Garner shared. "He said, 'You can do both. You’ve got it. You can do it.' "

“How much do I love that guy? I know, a lot," she added.