See Jennifer Garner on her summer vacation. The sexy ''Alias'' star
is softening her image in a new time-warp comedy filming in Manhattan
By Liane Bonin
Other people go to the beach. But when you're as used to kicking bad-
guy butt as ''Alias'''s Jennifer Garner, summer is no time to rest.
That's why the newly-separated star is in New York City filming "13
Going On 30," a comedy in which she plays a geeky 13-year-old who
gets locked in a closet by mean-spirited playmates, only to emerge
from her entrapment suddenly all grown up -- and beautiful. (Think: a
female version of Tom Hanks' ''Big.'')
Her costars Mark Ruffalo (''You Can Count On Me'') and Kathy Baker
(''Boston Public'') are talented actors but not movie stars, which
puts the box office pressure squarely on 31-year-old Garner. Her
challenge? To soften her sexy tough gal persona
(''Daredevil''). "Women are threatened by her," says ReelSource box
office analyst Robert Bucksbaum. "In a romantic comedy, you've got to
have a girl next door appeal." Sounds like what she learned during
her ''Felicity'' guest spots will come in handy.
