Jennifer Garner: The TEEN PEOPLE Interview -
March 2003
Watch your back, Ben Affleck. Your Daredevil costar says she can kick
your butt anytime!
BY DAVID KEEPS
It's 4 a.m., and while you are sleeping, Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck's
sexy love interest in this month's Daredevil and star of TV's Alias, is
already on a mission. Creeping through the darkness of her Los Angeles
home, she's desperately trying to deactivate an alarm that's about to
go off. "I have this really loud alarm clock in the bathroom,"
she says. "And I dread that."
Next, she pulls on her morning disguise (running pants and a T-shirt)
followed by some more action-adventure (at least 30 minutes on the treadmill).
"I watch VH-1 for insomniacs," she admits. "I'm always
glad to see John Mayer 'cause he's very cute."
After a quick shower, she gets dressed in her off-duty clothes (you might
see her in Seven Jeans, an Abercrombie & Fitch cardigan and a pair
of Nikes) and jumps into her flashy CIA-agent sports car (OK, it's a Volvo)
to race to the Disney Studios where Alias is mostly shot.
Around 6 a.m. she and costar Michael Vartan are engaged in some studio
surveillance. "Every day we pull out our bikes," says Jennifer,
30, who peddles a pink two-wheeler with a West Virginia license plate
(her home state). "We ride around the lot and ring our bells and
say good morning to everyone."
Not exactly what you'd expect from this tough-as-nails actress who does
most of her own stunts (parachuting and jumping from tall buildings in
Alias; fight scenes in Daredevil) and has the bruises to prove it. But
then again, Jennifer Garner, Hollywood's hottest new action hero, is full
of surprises.
Which of your famous costars could you take in a fight?
Michael Vartan [from "Alias"] because he's not very flexible.
That's his weakness. Colin Farrell, who plays the villain in Daredevil
and kicks my butt in the movie, could probably take me down, unless I
surprised him. Ben [Affleck] is all pumped up -- but you know what, that
must mean he's slow. I'll take Ben!
What's one thing you'd fight to the death for?
Anything that would threaten my family or my girlfriends.
You have two sisters, one younger, one older. What was it like growing
up the middle child?
I've always looked up to my older sister [Melissa]. We did have raging
fights about [borrowing] clothes and using the phone. My younger sister
[Suzanna], she's the biggest stud of the three of us. I don't think I
was very nice to her. Melissa got so much attention, I wasn't about to
lose any more.
Did you have posters on your wall?
No, I had floral wallpaper, but I had a Ricky Schroder folder.
What were you like in school?
I did well in classes that I loved. I played saxophone in the George Washington
Patriots [marching] band. I think it was a source of ridicule, but it
didn't bother me. I was also into ballet.
Any teen traumas?
I got my heart tromped on, the kind of broken where I sat on the end of
my mom's bed and cried every night for a year. You automatically think
you'll marry the first person you fall in love with, and having that fantasy
busted is never fun. But the great thing is no breakup since has been
as bad.
Did you have any weight or skin issues?
Ballet dancers are notorious for having weight issues. I'm sure I was
a stick figure, and I'm sure I thought I was grossly overweight. [During]
college my skin went bad for a while. It was so noticeable that I was
like, "Oh, my gosh, I'd rather have a few [smaller zits] all the
time than have a huge eruption!"
Were you a partyer in school?
I know I would have been more popular if I had taken part in all of that.…
I've never liked being drunk, and I don't like drunk people -- especially
girls. I'm always horrified for them and think, "If they saw a videotape
of themselves, would they laugh?"
You attended Denison University, near home. Good move?
I wish that I'd gone really far away to school. Otherwise it gets harder
to leave your hometown, and why not make an experience out of college?
I think Felicity had the right idea by going to New York.
How did you end up in L.A.?
[I was living in New York] and I came out to visit. I went on some auditions
and had a lucky week.
Very lucky. You got work on "Felicity" and met your husband,
Scott Foley.
I was so attracted to him that when we kissed on Felicity I felt more
awkward than anything else. The first kiss after Felicity was a million
times better. We didn't kiss for several dates; we had only one date a
week. He'd call one night, and we'd talk for a while. And then he'd call
a few days later and say, "Do you think I could take you for a drive
this weekend?" We'd take our dogs [my Maltese, Charlie Rose, and
his rescue, Maggie Mae].
Speaking of kisses, how do you prepare for one with a guy like Leonardo
DiCaprio?
Well, just out of politeness I wouldn't have Caesar salad with a lot of
garlic right before. I brush my teeth and, with some Altoids standing
by, you're good to go.
Who's the bigger sex symbol, you or Sydney?
Sydney is much sexier. The way she's confident is sexy to me. I've adopted
some of that in my own life, or I've tried to. I would hope that if boys
found Sydney sexy, it would be because she's smart... not afraid to be
feminine. And because she could take any one of them in a race.
If you could have a superhero power, what would it be?
To be the smartest person in the world. I'd like to be a flying, smart
superhero with a really good metabolism who could be invisible if necessary.
And what would you treat yourself to after a night of superheroics?
Toast with butter and honey -- just a little bit of sweetness is enough.
