The paparazzi would catch Jennifer Garner if they could.

And it made for some incredibly harrowing experiences for the Catch Me If You Can alum and ex-husband Ben Affleck’s three kids Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14, when they were young. In fact, Garner pointed to several moments where the paparazzi crossed the line while trying to get photos of her kids. 

“It was totally ludicrous,” the 54-year-old recalled on the July 21 episode of the Shut Up Evan podcast. “And it felt like poor little me, my poor little kids who have everything in the world. But it was a danger to everyone around us.”

And that’s no exaggeration, as Garner noted that photographers would run red lights and drive onto private lawns to get a snap of her and her family. The attention was so intense that it interfered with her children’s extracurriculars and even doctor’s appointments. 

“We were trying to have our little one play soccer and the association asked us to stop because there were 20 cars coming to try,” she continued. “So it wasn’t just about us. It was about an industry that had gotten out of control.” 

Ultimately, for the 13 Going on 30 star, children—and not just her own—were the ones who suffered the most from the paparazzi’s behavior. Specifically, when her kids were in preschool, photographers were in such a hurry to take photos of her family that they’d knock over other students. 

“Kids were at the center of it,” she explained. “I lived on the street with a lot of much more famous and successful people than I, but they followed me because I had the kids. They wouldn’t follow Ben, they wouldn’t follow Matt Damon, they were like, ‘There’s the chick with the kids.’”

Although Garner—who previously testified before California lawmakers advocating to make it illegal for paparazzi to photograph kids without parental consent—acknowledges that she is “privileged and lucky” because of her fame, she confessed that the attention around her was “silly.”  

As for her relationship to the paparazzi today, the Alias alum admits it’s a bit complicated.  

“I have two every day who’ve been assigned to me for 20-plus years, 25 years,” she revealed. “It’s really interesting. I have a very interesting relationship with my main guy. I’ve done anything to ask him to leave. And at the same time, we have an odd respect for each other. I don’t know, we’ve had some really real-life moments together.” 

Although Garner and Affleck divorced in 2015, they’ve maintained a healthy co-parenting relationship. Keep reading to see how their relationship and their family has evolved over the years…

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck put their heads together at a 2003 Planet Hollywood screening of their movie Daredevil—the movie that started it all. 

The hot new couple promote Daredevil in 2003. How cute are they?!

The lovebirds discuss film on Jon Favreau's open forum show Dinner for Five.

The duo pair up at their Daredevil premiere in L.A.

The couple, who married in June 2005, look like blissful newlyweds while shopping in Brentwood.

Ben and Jen enjoy America's favorite pastime at Fenway Park in 2006 in Ben's hometown of Boston. 

The lovebirds only have eyes for each other at the 2007 Golden Globes.

The lovers can't keep their hands off each other during the 2011 Critics' Choice Movie Awards.

Jen steps out after giving birth to their third child, son Samuel.

Jen supports Ben at his Hollywood Argo premiere in October 2012.

Ben and Jen walk the carpet at the 2013 Oscars, where Affleck won big for Argo.

Ben and Jen take Samuel, Seraphina and Violet to the farmers market in 2013.

The duo make one dapper couple at the 2014 SAG Awards.

The duo leave the kids at home for a dinner date in L.A.

The gourgeous stars turn heads at the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

The couple did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge together in 2014.

The duo grab juice while battling secret problems within their marriage.

Despite their public PDA, Ben and Jen lived apart during a trial separation for 10 months before they announced their split.

The lovebirds put on a united front despite breakup rumors. They later announced in June 2015 they are divorcing after 10 years of marriage.