Jennifer Garner
ALL ABOUT JENNIFER GARNER
Full Name: Jennifer Anne Garner
Date of Birth: 17 April 1972
Place of Birth: Houston, Texas, USA
Spouse: Ben Affleck (29 June 2005 - present) 1 child
Scott Foley (19 October 2000 - 30 March 2003) (divorced)
Bio:
Jennifer is the middle daughter. She has always had a close relationship with her two sisters, Melissa (who is older) and Suzannah (who is younger). Even though Jennifer has said “We did have raging fights about [borrowing clothes] and using the phone”. You can tell that Jennifer really respects and admires her sisters. “My big sister Melissa, is such a stud and my little sister Suzannah, has always had a perfect body and big blue eyes. We were a force.” The family often has foreign exchange students in their home, so Jen often shared a room with her sister Melissa. Melissa was the class valedictorian and a champion majorette. Jennifer wanted to stand out so she took up the saxophone and joined the swim team.
“I was definitely attracted to him at first sight, but I didn’t realize I was going to marry him until a while in. It grew really gradually and sweetly, and it was a real courtship.” The couple started dating and a few months into the relationship they went to Paris together. A year into the relationship they bought a house together. When they had been dating for two years Scott proposed to Jennifer. Jen was shocked to say the least. “I knew we were going to marry someday, but I was absolutely surprised when he actually proposed. And surprised he had bought a ring. I ran around the yard screaming.” Six weeks later the couple married in a small backyard wedding on October 19, 2000.
She got the part as Sydney Bristow, student by day, double agent the rest of the time. Jennifer does a lot of the stunts that Alias requires herself, unless as she puts it they are crazy, then she has a stunt double do them. But it took a while, “I did go overboard. We shot the scene where I was in the shower, and I was so bruised we had to cover my bruises with tattoo paint - they were just huge.” Unlike Jennifer’s past series, this one was a hit.
Jennifer’s next starred in her first romantic comedy, “13 Going on 30″ opposite Mark Ruffalo. “It’s … the female version of Big. But it’s a movie with a lot of heart, and it should be funny.” With the role as Jenna, Jennifer proved that she could carry a film by herself and show her comedic side.
Jennifer’s next relationship was with her Alias co-star Michael Vartan whom she claimed at the time was her best friend. The couple dated for about a year when their split was announced.
During the summer they announced the news that they were expecting their first child at the end of the year. The couple kept tight lipped about the sex of the baby until Jen accidentally slipped during an interview with Jay Leno that the baby was a “she”. Violet Anne was born on December 1, 2005 at 3:26 p.m. and weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz.
2006 brought the fifth and final season of Jen’s hit television series, “Alias”. During the last season Jen was unable to do a lot of her own stunts as she had done in the past due to her pregnancy, which was written into the story line. At the end of the year the film “Charlotte’s Web” will be released with Jennifer as the voice of Susy.
During the summer of 2006, Ben, Jennifer, & Violet lived in Boston as Ben directed the film “Gone, Baby, Gone”.
2007 brings on some new projects. The film “Catch and Release” which is scheduled to be released in January, where Jen stars along side Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis, & Kevin Smith. And “The Kingdom” which is with Jamie Foxx and is scheduled for release in April.
Trivia:
Met husband Scott Foley on the set of “Felicity” (1998).
Graduated from George Washington High School in Charleston, WV.
Was going to go to Yale to study drama, but got an acting job in NYC instead.
Earned a theater degree from Ohio’s Denison University.
Graduated from Denison University, Granville, OH, 1994.
Named one of People Magazine’s ‘Breakthrough Stars of 2001′.
Used to be a hostess at Isabella’s restuarant in L. A. when she was trying to launch her acting career.
Named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People [People Magazine - May 2002]
Named the 1 sexiest woman of 2001 by MAXIM men’s magazine.
One of Jennifer Garner’s favorite hobbies is Kickboxing, which was inspired by her role on Alias.
Jennifer made her directorial debut in 2005 with the Alias episode “In Dreams.”
Jennifer’s salary on ‘Alias’ started out at $45,000 an episode, before rising to $150,000 per episode in the show’s third season.
Jennifer won a Golden Globe in 2002 for “Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama” for her work on Alias.
Jennifer married Ben Affleck on June 29, 2005 at the exclusive Parrot Cay resort on the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. Victor Garber, Jennifer’s Alias co-star, officiated.
Jennifer loves reading; she reads books like Roots in her spare time.
Jennifer and Ben Affleck’s daughter Violet was born in December 2005.
Jennifer is such a big fan of Martha Stewart, that she named her dog “Martha Stewart.”
Jennifer won’t stand for her husband’s gambling. She was overheard yelling at him on her cell phone, saying he “promised not to spend all afternoon playing poker on the net.”
Jennifer played a saxophone in her high school band.
Quotes:
“You know how as a kid you picture yourself with a tall, handsome husband, and you imagine him cuddling your baby? Ben [Affleck] is like that, like, on crack.”
“Violet is the most beautiful thing. Just that she exists and I get to hang out with her. I think that I can read her mind because I’m with her all the time. Then she’ll do something off the wall and surprising. There’s no one who is more fun.”
“I do think about aging. I have those moments of panic and vanity, but life keeps getting better, so you can’t worry about it too much.”
(on her daughter Violet) “She looks like both of us. She’s somewhere in-between the two of us. Ben and I like more things in ourselves that we now see reflected in Violet. To see my dimples in her makes me like my dimples, because I share them with her.”
“I’m pretty chilled as a pregnant chick and I feel like I’ll be pretty chilled about the whole thing. I mean, I feel kind of warrior-like about it. But I do have the moments in the middle of the night where I’m like, ‘Wow, this has to come out!’”
“There’s nothing more emotional than seeing your partner–the man you love–with your baby at any time: the first time, the second, yesterday, today. There’s nothing more beautiful.”
(on Ben Affleck as a dad) “He does a good job. I mean, okay, maybe I wrote out what he was supposed to make for her (to eat) today while I was gone. But that’s just me being paranoid. He’s great – he can do it.”
(on losing the baby weight)” It took me a long, long time. I just wasn’t that motivated. I wanted to play with her. Then I got on the treadmill, stopped stuffing my face and lost the weight. I cut out croissants, bagels and muffins – all the good stuff. And went back to having a salad once a day and protein.”
“I was rocking [Violet], and she was fascinated by the light hitting the ceiling. I thought, “God, for the past five years, I haven’t stopped to look at light on the ceiling for [one] second.” To slow down and go at her pace has been such a gift.”
“I call my mom now and say, “You know all the dinners you made that I said ‘No’ to and went off and ate peanut butter? I’m sorry. I get it. I slaved over roasting this, and Violet goes, ‘No, no, no!’”"
“Having a baby fills your life in such a way that no matter what you’re doing, there’s something bigger. I’ve just been in heaven being with her the past year.”
(when asked about Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck) I’m not going to go there. That’s his life and his past. He has always been so respectful of her, and, in turn, I’m going to be respectful of him.”
“I’ve known for a long time that your looks will only take you so far, and I think I’m in the process of showing what I can do as an actress. I wouldn’t mind if someone says I’m a good actress who’s also kind of nice to look at. There’s a lot worse things people can say about you!”
“I know there’s this very fine line separating success from obscurity. I don’t take anything for granted.”
“The only thing I ever wanted to get out of this business was to find enough work to pay my rent and have a little money in the bank at the end of the month. I was never ambitious in the sense that I was desperate to become famous and walk up the red carpet.”
“Back in school I loved guys and I was always chasing them but they never seemed to be interested in me! It took a while until that process reversed itself. Sometimes I think it was better the other way around!”
(on training for “Elektra”)” Having done so many fight scenes in Alias and then for Daredevil, the training wasn’t as tough as it was when I first started learning to do fight sequences. Now my body is a lot better adapted to all the moves, even though I still wind up getting bruises all over me.”
“Fashion taste is so much a thing of the moment that it’s almost impossible to always be on the cutting edge anyway, so I try to keep things simple and classic. I got some pretty good press for my Oscar dress, so I can’t complain.”
“I only feel [pressure] when I go to film premieres and there’s so much fuss about wearing the perfect dress. That can be intimidating. I don’t have the greatest fashion sense myself, but I think I know what kind of dresses look good on me or not.”
(on being part of a celebrity couple) “We just don’t talk about our relationship! It’s tough when you’re both working hard and you read stories. It’s just a no-win situation to say anything at all.”
(on her relationship with Scott Foley)” When I was going through my separation, I remember feeling really awful because so many trashy stories were being printed which were pretty cruel and for the most part totally fabricated. But I had a lot of people around me who were telling me that you have to just ride it out and eventually the stories will just die down. But it’s OK. I’ve developed a thick skin.I just try to lead my life and not worry about the speculation about my love life.”
“I will definitely streak somewhere before I would get drunk.”
(on all her lingerie scenes in “Alias”)” I was in about half the lingerie that they wanted me to be in! Every now and then I’d get a script that would be like, ‘Sydney’s in a bikini,’ and I’d be like, ‘I can’t! You have to give me notice. I have to have months to get ready. Don’t make me do it.’”
(on the old saying that having a newborn is like detonating a bomb in a marriage) “I was ready for that, I kept preparing, but it hasn’t been the case at all. Maybe it’s because we were newlyweds. I think it’s just he is also a very understanding individual. A compassionate, generous guy. He’s great with her and she loves him, and it makes it a lot easier on me.”
(on her days since giving birth to her daughter Violet) “Most of the time by far, I’m at home with my daughter. My husband is superinvolved and very present, so I don’t have that feeling of wandering around the house bumping into things. I have just enough stuff that gets me out where I feel like, “Oh look, I exist in the world.”"
“It’s not a straight line, this job. You go along and you go backward and then to the side and then you leap forward, and it’s like, holy sh*t! I definitely think if I never got another job, I’d go to grad school! Just because I want to remind myself that my job’s not what makes me happy in life.”
“I would just like to have as varied a career as I can, for as long as it wants me and I want it. But it’s hard. It’s not a generous career. You know, when things are good, you kind of have to take advantage, and no one really cares if you have a kid, and you wanna… but that’s okay.”
“I didn’t grow up in a politically active family like [Ben Affleck] did, and I’m jealous of him that way. I’ve always felt slightly behind. But it’s like baseball: The more you know about it, the more you like it. I’m finally learning the difference between Sunni and Shiite, you know what I mean? And thank goodness, I find that [Ben and I] are pretty much on the same page.”
(on her family)” We hardly saw movies. It was a much bigger deal for us if Annie came through. We saw Flowers for Algernon when I was probably six, and Mom said that at the end, I stood up on my chair and was screaming and clapping.”
“My sisters are the single biggest thing about me. They’re the ones cushioning me on either side.”
“I would be happy if there was a uniform for life and we didn’t think about it. I do appreciate people who have style. I like to look at it. And I even like when I accidentally stumble onto something that is a combination of me and something fancy–that makes me happy. But otherwise, the whole thing terrifies me.”
“I never got recognized! I’d be with my husband [actor Scott Foley from "Felicity" 1998] and people would think I’m his manager, and they’d start giving me their business cards.”
“I knew we were going to marry someday, but I was absolutely surprised when he actually proposed. And surprised he had bought a ring. I ran around the yard screaming.”
“The thing is, everyone says that when you’re in Hollywood, you’re living in the fast lane. But that’s what it feels like — everything speeds up. If [a relationship] is not going to work 10 years from now, it feels like it’s accelerated to this frenzy and then, it’s not working…boom! And you’re like, “What just happened?”"
“Now I see people around, like [Isabella's regulars] Steve Martin and Katie Couric, and they think they know me. But I’m
like, ‘That’s because I seated you at table five every Wednesday.’”
“Sometimes I look at [skinny actresses] and think, Oh God, I should look like that. I’m jealous because the clothes hang on them so well. But I would have to torture myself to look like they do.”
“I’m well-known for action but it was never even a hint of a consideration when I was starting to work as an actress. To be honest, comedy wasn’t up there either. I was always kind of the vulnerable girl next door.”
“Jenna in 13 Going on 30 is probably closer to my actual personality than Sydney [on Alias] in a lot of ways.”
(on her character Sydney losing two years of her life in “Alias”) “We were all shocked. I’m almost embarrassed to tell you this but when we were shooting Sydney waking up in Hong Kong, I could not stop crying and it wasn’t supposed to be an emotional scene, JJ asked me why and I said, “Because I can’t stand it for her. It isn’t fair that she lost two years and the love of her life.”"
“What’s great today with women from the new generation is that they’re able to top men, while staying extremely feminine. That’s a fantastic evolution.”
“I would have never thought that I’d be taken seriously in this field! But I have an insatiable appetite for action.”
“Our society says to focus on one thing to become the best at it. But the real point of a liberal arts education is to experience a variety of things.”
“People think that I just go from one workout session to another. No. My workouts are never more then an hour long. I definately let myself have a day off every now and then. I do a lot of running on camera which is fun - watching the camera guys kind of go “Can you go slower, Jen?” and I go “Yeah! I’m beating the camera guys!”"
(on “Alias”) “In the first season when I was nominated for the first time, and I was over the moon, it didn’t occur to me that it could happen. This makes me feel like its not about the buzz, its not about the new kid in town. This makes me feel like we have done 57 solid episodes and i’ve been there for every single day of every single one and it MATTERS.”
“I mean, maybe I’m just lucky that I came from a great place, but I’m so glad and so relieved to see people that I’ve known forever and to just sit down and talk about our dogs and gardening and normal real life and our parents and siblings. I think I would feel that way if I worked on an oil ship somewhere and only got home every nine months. I think that it’s not as crazily different, my job, from anyone else’s, as people let themselves believe. I think people get wrapped up in their own idea of what it is, but it’s really not that.”
” That’s eventually if I could do anything, it would be to be on Broadway or to do a big movie musical. I can’t think of anything I would love more.”
(on her favorite musical roles) “Gosh, I love everything. I love being in the chorus. I was in the chorus of Little Abner in Summerstock once and it was so fun, the dancing and finding the harmony, being part of a big group. I loved–I played Gypsy when I was younger and I loved, loved, lu-hu-hoved Gypsy. I think that’s such a beautiful musical. I loved–I was Dream Laurey once in Oklahoma and that is such a beautiful ballet. I love Cabaret. I did that in college and I love them all.”
(on her best friend growing up) “I grew up next door to this guy named Danny Moore. He is now married with a couple of kids. He still lives in Charleston and I still see him every time I go home. And Dan and I had this ritual, we called it porch talk where every night when we got home from our various things, and then through high school it would be from dates or whatever it was, he would throw rocks or pennies at my window if my light was on, or I would at his window. I would come downstairs or he would and we would sit on the front porch of either house and talk about, go through everything. And we were absolute sweetest best of friends and it was always innocent, but I think we probably both did have crushes on each other but we never- - he set me up with all of his friends instead and I talked him through his various relationships.”
“I think the whole point of being an actress is to do different things, and so far I’ve been lucky that I haven’t been stuck somewhere.”
(on kissing a girl for Elektra) “You know, I’d have to say it’s the first time I’ve ever kissed a girl. I didn’t object it, I didn’t really think about it much either way. When the time came it was just a kiss. It was totally, completely fine. We’d just talk about our sisters or talk about, you know, “Oh wait you’ve got a hair stuck here” and I think it’s the only person on screen I’ve kissed where I’m making sure her lipstick is straight and then we’d actually kiss, they’d say “cut” and we would laugh and get on with it. It was nothing to speak of.”
(on her expierence with comic book fans) “I’m lucky that the color of my costume is the toughest I’ve ever got. People don’t come up and go “You sucked as Elektra! You should have been Greek! I hate you!” They might say that behind my back, but my experiences have been really, really positive, which has only made me enjoy the world more.”
“There are times where everything is going right at the same time and you just have to love them for all they’re worth. I feel like I’m in the middle of one of those, so I’m just appreciating it.””
“Life is good in general. Even when things are a little sloppy, there are things you can look at and say, ‘Wow! This is a really great aspect of my life’ and maybe I didn’t know about it before or didn’t appreciate it.”
(on hiding the baby for “Alias”) “We talked about trying to hide it and I just said that’s ridiculous. First of all, I think it’s a really honest, mature, real storyline for her and for me to get to play with her. Also, it would just be ridiculous right now, if not in a couple of months.”
“My big sister Melissa is such a stud, and my little sister Suzanna has always had a perfect body and big blue eyes. We were a force.”
“I’m much more willing to see myself as human and flawed, and accept someone - the whole picture. My life is definitely changing for the better. I couldn’t be happier or feel more comfortable with the direction it’s going in.”
(on stumbling on her dress at The 2006 Academy Awards) “I kind of stepped on the lining of my dress, and I just felt my feet absolutely going out from under me.”
(during her interview with Jay Leno) “You can just start to feel really pregnant, like you are the hugest person on the face of the planet. And then I felt just bigger and bigger like she … oops!”
(on “13 Going on 30″) “It’s like Big in many ways, but it makes me nervous to say that because Tom Hanks was so brilliant and it’s such an incredible, beautiful movie that to compare myself to him is nerve-racking.”
“I want to be funny. I want to be like a huge fat old man and stuff like that. Now is the time to do stuff that’s fun.”
(on “Alias” co-star Carl Lumbly) “We looked him up on IMDb, and we just cracked up - his resumé goes on and on. He was even on “Cagney & Lacey” (1982)”
“I lost weight breastfeeding! That and a moderate exercise and eating plan with the help of my personal trainer. I wasn’t about to jump on the celebrity mom bandwagon of getting super-skinny, super-quickly. I am more concerned about keeping healthy and spending time with Violet than anything else.”
(on her weight after giving birth)” I’m in the worst shape ever. My trainer just shakes her head and says, ‘This is a disaster.’ I am as physically unfit as I’ve probably been in my whole life.”
(on her work in Daredevil) “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, physically. It was just night after night and day after day of fighting!”
“I want a graduate degree, I want to be a business woman, an investment banker, a writer, a pianist. I really wish I could cook.
I’ve never had specific goals in life. I don’t say, ‘I’d like my next step to be this’, and then write it down and go after it. Actually, I don’t write anything down. I just think things to myself and they actually start to happen. So watch out.”
“I wish that I had read Electra when I was growing up because I think she’s a very empowering young woman.”
“I’m naturally happy. I have definitely had dips, but two of my mom’s most oft-repeated momisms are Happiness is your responsibility and Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning, and both are true. There is always a new day.”
(on working with Colin Farrell)”The great thing about Colin is that he doesn’t pretend to be anything that he’s not. He’s having a great time. He celebrates life everyday. I love that about him.”
(on Elektra)”It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life physically. It was night after night, day after day after day of just fighting.”
(on the role of Elektra) “She is driven by vengeance and she’s a very powerful woman. The great thing about this movie is that it starts with her falling in love and so what was fun about playing her was that I got to play both the tenderness and the blissfulness of falling in love, and also her vengeful, darker side. [This part was a] fun addition to my career.”
(admitting her remaining pregnancy weight is sparking baby bump rumors) “Everyone calm down. Nobody’s pregnant. You still have that little bit of extra skin… But still, it’s enough for people to think that you’re knocked up.”
(on her body shape after giving birth)” I’m in the worst shape ever. My trainer just shakes her head and says, ‘This is a disaster.’ I am as physically unfit as I’ve probably been in my whole life. It’s such a horror in front of the mirror with no clothes on.”
(About the arrival of their first child)” Ben and I realize how incredibly blessed we are. It’s a dream come true.”
(on her first husband Scott Foley) “I wanted to see him as a white knight and was crushed whenever anything normal happened. I wanted to be the princess… Now, I’m much more willing to see myself as human and flawed, and accept someone.”
“I don’t have this princess fantasy about marriage anymore.”
“The first thing I check out on a guy is his hands. I imagine them picking up a baby; it’s a sensual thing. They should look capable and strong and have a bit of artist in them–like he’s picked up a guitar or could draw a sketch.”
“I’ve been pretty chill as a pregnant chick, so I feel like I’ll be pretty chill through the whole thing.”
“I think the whole point of being an actress is to do different things, and so far I’ve been lucky that I haven’t been stuck somewhere.”
(On transitioning to a lead role for “Elektra”) “It’s been a scary one, to be honest. I’ve really missed hiding behind a big, red devil.”
(on struggling at first with her career) “When I first got to New York I lived on a futon on this woman’s kitchen floor for nine months. I paid her $400 a month while I was understudying a play on Broadway that I got $150 a week for. I got the flu and bronchitis because I didn’t have a warm coat in the middle of winter.”
(on High School) “It wasn’t like I was one of the hugest nerds. I was just a quiet, little, happy nerd, going along with my other nerd friends.”
“I think it’s fair to say that Scott gets more jealous than I do. However, on the night before our wedding, I turned on the TV and there was the Felicity episode in which Tyra Banks straddles Scott and thrusts her ta-tas in his face. He was like, ‘Tyra Banks is hot.’ I thought, ‘Oh, how nice.’ But what can you do? She is hot. I’d kiss her.”
(On winning a Goldon Globe in 2001.)”My husband was as flabbergasted as I was. I think he almost flew out of his skin. He was so surprised and excited. He is just the most supportive and proud friend. My family is just beyond out-of-control excited.”
(Regarding the series finale of “Alias”) “We came in with a bang and we’re going out with one.”
“If you were to hang out on the set of Alias, you would very quickly agree with the cast and crew that I’m 30 when the camera is rolling and 13 when they say ‘cut.’ I think all of us have our inner 13-year-old a lot closer to the surface than we’re willing to admit even to ourselves.”
“I would roll up pennies to take the subway to work in Times Square. I was broke, but I was happy.”
(On his casting her in “Alias”) “I’ve often said to J.J. Abrams, the creator of the show, ‘I don’t know why you cast me in this role. I don’t know why you thought I could do it. I know I was good in Dude, Where’s My Car?, but seriously… I can’t thank you enough!”
“Beauty comes from a life well lived. If you’ve lived well, your smile lines are in the right places, and your frown lines aren’t too bad, what more do you need?”
Filmography:
Jennifer Garner Filmography as an Actor:
2009 Be With You
2009 Christmas in Connecticut
2008 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
2007 The Kingdom
2007 Juno
2007 Catch and Release
2005 Alias: Season 04
2005 Alias: Season 05
2005 Elektra
2004 13 Going on 30
2003 Stealing Time
2003 Alias: Season 03
2003 Saturday Night Live: Jennifer Garner
2003 Daredevil
2002 Catch Me If You Can
2002 Alias: Season 02
2001 Alias: Season 01
2001 Pearl Harbor
2000 Dude, Where’s My Car?
1999 Felicity: The Fugue
1999 Aftershock: Earthquake in New York
1999 Time of Your Life [TV Series]
1998 1999
1998 Felicity: Thanksgiving
1998 Significant Others [TV Series]
1997 Mr. Magoo
1997 Deconstructing Harry
1997 Washington Square
1996 Law & Order: Aftershock
1996 Dead Man’s Walk
1996 Harvest of Fire
1996 Rose Hill
1995 Danielle Steel’s ‘Zoya’
Jennifer Garner Filmography as a Producer:
2009 Christmas in Connecticut
2008 Devil in the Junior League
Jennifer Garner Awards:
Emmy
2005 Best Actress in a Drama Alias: Season 04
2001 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Alias [TV Series]
Golden Globe
2003 Best Actress - Drama (TV) Alias [TV Series]
2002 Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama Alias (TV Series)
2001 Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama Alias
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