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July 2003
Jennifer Garner -- Daredevil Interview
Scans thanks to Anna, Vartan Ho #87.
Best known for her role as a graduate student with the secret life as a spy in the television series Alias, Jennifer Garner has continued to build an enviable fan base. Garnering an Emmy nod and a Golden Globe Award win along the way for the adventure/drama made the Texas beauty an easy choice for the coveted role of Electra opposite Ben Affleck in Daredevil. Judging by the loyal following and excellent box office returns, the sequel cry was heard long before the impressive numbers were tallied.
Although Daredevil was not Jennifer's big-screen debut, insiders including Ben Affleck are predicting that, via this comic vehicle, a true star has been born. The word in Hollywood is that this is just the beginning of the soon-to-be-single Garner's stellar future.
Born Jennifer Anne Garner in Houston, Texas, on April 17, 1972, the stunning brunette with the pillow lips was raised in Charleston, West Virginia. She attended Dennison University in Granville, Ohio, majoring in theater, and received her BFA in 1996.
Jennifer's early career credits include the miniseries Danielle Steele's Zoya (1995), theater work for the Broadway revival of A Month in the Country, a guest spot on the police series Swift Justice (1996) and an appearance in Larry McMurtry's Dead Man's Walk, a miniseries marking the fourth installment of the Lonesome Dove saga.
Another small-screen movie, Rose Hill, had the lithe actress starring as the abandoned child adopted by a gang of New York City street kids for the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. 1997 marked her big-screen debut in Washington Square, with roles in Angieszka Holland's adaptation of the Henry James classic.
Fans recall her cameos in Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry and the comical Mister Magoo. Jennifer shifted smoothly through a couple of career false starts such as the TV series Significant Others (1998) and The Time of Your Life (1999-2000), but had a memorable recurring turn in Felicity. 2000 was a turnaround year for Garner, with good reviews for her humorous supporting role as the fed-up girlfriend in Dude, Where's My Car? plus a small but solid performance as an uptight nurse in the World War II epic Pearl Harbor, which also starred Ben Affleck. Daredevil was a re-teaming that both actors welcomed.
Daredevil is a reunion of sorts for you and Ben Affleck, since you worked together in Pearl Harbor. Ben predicts big screen success for you from here on out. How will this affect your television series, Alias? Is the pressure on?
JG: No actually. The series takes the pressure off for me because I have this home base that I love, with actors that I'm still learning from every day and respect, and with stories written for me that I love to play out.
Daredevil required plenty of physical feats, martial arts and action from you. Is this a film genre you're personally drawn to?
JG: Actually, my desire to do Daredevil came out of several things, not the least of which was my hunger for learning everything that I possibly could about fighting on screen. I grew up a ballet dancer and so I grew up with an understanding of discipline and of truly training for something, starting from scratch and demanding the most from yourself. I really wanted to do Daredevil because I wanted the training that Daredevil would give me and it did live up to what I was hoping for. I did learn how to fight with weapons. I did fight on a different level. I definitely learned a lot about wirework and, of course, working with the Hong Kong wire team and Master Chaung Yan Yuan, who demanded the level of commitment from me that I was looking to give to martial arts.
Alias also requires that you're in top physical condition, so what was your regimen prior to Daredevil?
JG: I come from a tradition of ballet in my family. Once you quit dancing, you forget about it for a while and suddenly you ache to use your body again in some way. I got into running and I got into yoga for a while. L.A. is so great for that. You can really sample the best of different fitness trends and possibilities. When I got Alias, I was way into Pilates and going several times a week—also running, so I was in very good physical condition when I got the job. I had some help from my trainer to tone everything up.
You said if there was a super power you could have it would be metabolism. Why?
JG: I just love food so much. I love all the bad foods. I really love Doritos, for example, and Doritos are just not part of the Sydney Bristow plan, so if I could have a super power, I'd like one of those metabolisms where you eat anything you want. That'd be pretty great. I'd sit here with pies all over the place…. Actually… I'm happy eating healthy. I don't deny myself. I have a bite of whatever I want, but I'd dive in and eat the whole bowl six times a day every day if I had super-power metabolism! (Laughing)
You've had love scenes with Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio. What would you say was the big difference between the two?
JG: I laughed a lot more doing the love scene with Ben Affleck, but that's because I knew him much better. With Leo, I popped in, did the scene and left, so we had no time but to be anything but in the moment, in our characters, doing the job and getting on with the day. We had a really lovely time, but more than anything, I was impressed by what a skilled, subtle and deft actor Leo is. Ben—Ben and I just laughed our way through the love scene. We just thought it was a hoot. I mean, imagine you'd go to work and you've spent your whole summer fighting with this person and having him catch you out of thin air and becoming a partner with this guy and the next thing you know…! Oh, it's a sad day. There are tons of crew members around and it's just funny.
Rumors abound that Elektra will have her own feature film. Will this incarnation in Daredevil be the end of her?
JG: (Smiling) Nobody ever dies in the comics. That's one thing that I learned very quickly. They killed Superman, for crying out loud, at one point! Elektra is actually such an interesting character because she ends up going back and visiting her own grave in almost the next comic book. She has an epic storyline that's going on kind of forever before we meet her in this Daredevil.
How long is your commitment to Alias and are you committed to another Daredevil?
JG: We're all committed to another Daredevil and I am committed to Alias for a long time, probably much longer than anyone really cares to hear. I think I'm committed for another four years and as long as the writing stays as good as it has been so far, that's fine with me.
People are always asking if you're related to James Garner. Are you?
JG: No, believe me. I have claimed to have been his niece often enough that I'll be horrified when I meet him (laughing), but I look forward to meeting him. No family connection. It would have made things a lot easier, believe me.
What about your personal brand of humor?
JG: (Laughs) My humor is probably a little bit on the goofy side and probably a little bit ironic. I'm an easy target. The other day, Michael Vartan [her Alias co-star] said at work, 'This smells like up dog' and I said, 'What's up dog?' And he goes, 'Not much. What's up with you?' I fell for it immediately. When I try it, it doesn't work.
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