January 22, 2018 | Stephanie Kelsey

Wholesome Facts About Jennifer Garner


“There's something so interesting about the combination of vulnerability and being completely in control at the same time. Women should run everything—it's about time.”

Jennifer Garner is the definition of girl  next door. You want to be her best friend, borrow her clothes, and ask her for advice when needed. But this wholesome beauty has a few secrets of her own; read on to find out!


Jennifer Garner Facts

27. Finding Her Niche

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Garner had small roles in Spin City and Law & Order before she landed in the hit show Felicity. A producer from Felicity then cast her as CIA agent Sydney Bristow in J.J. Abrams' Alias. Alias lasted for five seasons, and earned Garner a Golden Globe in 2002 for Best Actress.

Jennifer Garner facts Alias (2001–2006), Touchstone Television

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26. You Don’t Mess With the Garner

During her time on Alias, Garner learned martial arts and taekwondo, and performed many of the action sequences herself. Her stunt double, however, would take care of the more dangerous scenes, especially during explosions or more complex fights.

Jennifer Garner facts Alias (2001–2006), Touchstone Television

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25. …Unless You’re a Set of Wires

Because of her commitment to stunt work, Garner had a serious incident while filming Daredevil. She became tangled in wires, was unable to move her arms while doing a flip, and went careening towards a wall head-first. Lucky for her, co-star (and later husband) Ben Affleck came to her rescue before any serious injuries came about.

Jennifer Garner facts Daredevil (2003), Marvel Enterprises

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24. …or a Sword

While filming Elektra, she was sliced along her knuckles (by accident!) by Will Yun Lee. After getting all fixed up, it happened again. In the same spot.

Jennifer Garner facts Elektra (2005), Marvel Enterprises

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23. Her Arms Must Have Been Tired!

Things got a bit nutty during the filming of Daredevil, as she was also in the middle of filming for Alias. She spent Monday through Friday in Los Angeles for the show, then flew to New York on weekends for the movie. At least her combat training was all taken care of!

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Jennifer Garner facts Daredevil (2003), Marvel Enterprises

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22. Change Your Mind, Then Change it Again

When she was growing up, Garner had dreamt of becoming a teacher or an author, but then attended Denison University in Ohio to study chemistry. It was there that she graduated with a degree in theatre in 1996. It’s worth noting that her dad was a chemical engineer and her mom was an English teacher. This is all a bit of a departure for the Garner family!

Jennifer Garner facts Wikimedia Commons

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21. Odd Jobs Indeed

Garner once cleaned toilets as a summer job (ew!) and also once babysat for Stephen Colbert when she was a struggling actress. The two had met while doing cameos on Spin City: The Competition.

Jennifer Garner facts Wikimedia Commons

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20. Love What You Do, and Do What You Love

She didn’t get into acting for the money (though we’re sure that’s not a terrible perk of the job). Garner enjoys the challenges and preparations required for a role, and just loves acting in general. She believes that loving what you do leads to more success.

Jennifer Garner facts Getty Images

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19. Coming Through!

Her Alias director J.J. Abrams once gave her a pink bicycle for her birthday, and because she was usually first on set, she would greet the crew by ringing the bells on the handlebars. Super cute!

Jennifer Garner facts Pixabay

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18. A Modest Upbringing

Garner has previously joked that she grew up almost Amish, as she was raised in a pretty strict home. Her parents instilled a lot of morals and principles in their three daughters, with their mom never placing too much stock in her own looks. But at the same time, Garner knew and felt how much her parents loved her and how they provided a warm and loving environment.

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Jennifer Garner facts Getty Images

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17. Opinions Expressed are Solely Her Own

Her upbringing may have been conservative, but her political views are not. She’s donated to past Democratic campaigns and has spoken at rallies, but she doesn’t force her opinions or views on anyone.

Jennifer Garner facts Shutterstock

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16. Live, Love, and Learn

The actress has been married twice. The first was to fellow Felicity star Scott Foley, which lasted four years, and the second to Affleck, with whom she has three children. Garner and Affleck announced their separation  in 2015, after ten years of marriage. In early in 2017, People magazine reported they were trying to work things out. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and they formally filed for divorce a month later.

Jennifer Garner facts Getty Images

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15. Wedding for Three

Affleck and Garner married in June of 2005 in the Caribbean, and the marriage was officiated by her Alias co-star and friend Victor Garber. In fact, it was just those three present for the nuptials (if you exclude the baby Jennifer was four months pregnant with at the time)! Affleck had proposed on Garner’s 33rd birthday that April.

Jennifer Garner facts Getty Images

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14. Sister for Life

The actress is a member of the sorority Pi Beta Phi. We wish we could've talked out our boy troubles with her during college!

Jennifer Garner facts Wikimedia Commons

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13. Natural Beauty

She’s also a spokesperson for Neutrogena. Makes sense, since she still has absolutely glowing skin.

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Jennifer Garner facts Flickr, Mike Mozart

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12. Go Go Power Rangers!

Garner has said that she is often mistaken for fellow actress Amy Jo Johnson (most notably known for portraying the pink Power Ranger). She’s even been asked to sign photos of Johnson! Then again, we bet Johnson gets confused for Garner even more. Bonus fact: Johnson was also on Felicity.

Jennifer Garner facts Wikimedia Commons

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11. She Was Keeping Her Options Open

As a child, Garner loved dancing and performing, so much so that she spent nine years studying ballet. In high school, she also played the saxophone in the school’s band, and named her musical instrument “Sally the Sexy Saxophone.”

Jennifer Garner facts Wikimedia Commons

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10. Just Call Her Bookworm

Garner has a major love of reading. When she and a friend were living in San Francisco, during the time she was just starting out in Hollywood, she got a lot of reading in. “We’d tell each other: 'Instead of panicking, go read,'" she told Oprah.com. “You won’t have another chance in your whole life to dive into books.’ I got a lot of books read during those years.”

Jennifer Garner facts Getty Images

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9. A Wiz in the Kitchen

She also loves cookbooks. “I read cookbooks like they’re novels,” she said in the same Oprah.com interview. “I take them to bed at night. I rediscover one in my collection, and I pore over it.” Can we come over for dinner sometime?

Jennifer Garner factsFlickr, Tim Sackton

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8. When Art Meets Reality

Following in the footsteps of her character in Alias, Garner appeared in a recruitment video for the CIA after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

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9/11 FactsWikimedia Commons

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7. A Young Doppelganger

The same young actress played a younger version of Garner in two films. Christa B. Allen portrayed her in 13 Going on 30 and in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

Jennifer Garner facts Getty Images

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6. Pillow fight!

Garner really got into character while prepping for her role in 13 Going on 30. She even had a sleepover with a bunch of 13-year-old girls prior to filming for the 2004 movie. Sounds like fun research.

Jennifer Garner facts 13 Going on 30 (2004), Sony Pictures Entertainment

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5. Taking One (or Two) for the Ears

Garner had to have her ears pierced in 2006 specifically to wear the $250,000 diamond chandelier-style earrings she wore to the Oscars that year (none of the Garner children were allowed to pierce their ears growing up). She let her ears heal over once it was all over.

Jennifer Garner facts Getty Images

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4. Third Time’s the Charm

She had her ears pierced for the third time (the first being in 1999) in 2009 when she was with one of her sisters. “My sister Melissa had been thinking about getting her ears pierced for a while, but was a bit nervous about having them done—She'd never had them done even though she's thirty-nine, and was worried about it hurting,” Garner once said. “She watched me get my ears pierced, and then she finally got hers done too.”

Jennifer Garner factsShutterstock

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3. Fighting for Their Rights

She’s a huge proponent of celebrity children being left alone, and was even one of the celebrities who helped get a bill passed in September 2013 that protects children from being harassed by photographers.

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Jennifer Garner factsGetty Images

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2. Fighting For Her Own

Garner’s longtime stalker was deemed insane in 2010, and her former husband Ben Affleck was finally prompted to buy a gun after the stalker had shown up at their daughter’s school.

Good Will Hunting FactsGetty Images

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1. The Humanitarian

She's not just an actress: Garner is also an artist ambassador and trustee for Save the Children. She also traveled to Houston, Texas (where she was born) after Hurricane Harvey hit, and met some pretty good kids. “One boy told me how his mom had put the kids in a kiddie pool in chest-high waters, and she had gone under because she couldn’t swim,” she told People magazine admiringly of the spirit people displayed throughout the disaster. “He’d said, ‘Throw Mama a rope!’ and saved her.”

Jennifer Garner factsGetty Images

Sources:  123456, 7

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