Jennifer Garner, 41, is the epitome of the traditional American wife and mother of three - even if her husband is Oscar-winner Ben Affleck, 40.

In the September issue of Allure, Garner tells the magazine, which hits newstands August 20, that while she plans to continue acting, family and her husband come first.

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"When [Ben's] directing, especially, I need to be taking care of him," she said. "I need to be taking care of our family."

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The "Alias" star always knew it would be that way, too. While filming the "Dallas Buyers Club," Garner made sure not to shuck her responsibilities as a mom to her new son, Samuel, who born early in 2012.

"My baby was with me," she said of bringing him to the set. "I was trying to pump and trying to nurse. I was trying to be there and be home."

After Affleck's movie "Argo" won the Oscar for Best Picture, Affleck gave a speech including his widely talked about "marriage is work" line. When he hosted "Saturday Night Live," Garner was more than willing to be part of the skit to poke fun at his unusual choice of words.

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"[Appearing alongside Ben on "SNL"] just happened," she said. "I didn't know I was doing the show that night. Ben was like, 'Can you come here a little early? We have an idea for something.' I got there and I realized, 'Oh, no, this is happening.'"

Finally, she told Allure that if Affleck does decide to go into politics in the distant future, she is "along for the ride."

"Would I be surprised if one day he did go into politics? No. But not now," she said.

(Photo credit: Alexi Lubomirski for Allure)