Jennifer Garner gets tearful as she recalls 'magical' memory of her film debut back when she was sleeping on kitchen floor and making $150 a week and says she 'owes' her continued career success to Reese Witherspoon
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Jennifer Garner got emotional as she recounted her humble career beginnings earning $150 a week as an understudy on Broadway whilst living on a woman’s kitchen floor, to still landing roles in her 50s.
While now an award-winning actress, the A-lister, 53, was brought to tears as she recalled the 'magical' moment that she first saw herself on the silver screen and said she 'cannot believe' that she was still working 30 years later.
And she heaped heaped praise on her BFF and fellow film star, Reese Witherspoon, as she explained how the Academy Award winner had been there for her through difficult times, supported her career, and given her valuable parenting advice.
After moving to New York City at the age of 23, Jennifer broke into Broadway, landing a job as an understudy in production of A Month in the Country, starring the likes of acting icons, Helen Mirren and F. Murray Abraham.
And she said that despite only earning $150 dollars a week, she couldn't believe that she'd gotten the part, admitting that she still is stunned by her success even now as she said: 'The surprise has always been bigger than my actual dream'.
Speaking on Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show podcast, Jennifer said: 'It was such a surprise to me that I was understudying a play on Broadway. I thought like this was a success, and if that was as far as it went I would have been like, "I got to do this."
Jennifer Garner got emotional as she recounted her humble career beginnings earning $150 a week as an understudy on Broadway whilst living on a woman’s kitchen floor, to still landing roles in her 50s
While now an award-winning actress, the A-lister, 53, was brought to tears as she recalled the 'magical' moment that she first saw herself on the silver screen in 1997's Washington Square (pictured in film)
'I got to watch Helen Mirren every night. And then from that, the fact that I was suddenly on set, it was like, "I can't believe I'm here."
'And so I've felt that way the whole time. The surprise has always been bigger than my actual dreams, in a way.
'But I don't think that I ever thought someday I'm going to be this or that, I just didn't think that way. It just kept building on itself and I was enjoying the journey of it as it was happening.
She explained how she and her friend had reminisced recently about going to see Jennifer's first appearance on the silver screen, admitting 'it makes me want to cry thinking about it'.
Her first feature film role was in 1997 period drama Washington Square, opposite 'giants of film and theatre', including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judy Ivey, Albert Finney and Maggie Smith.
Jennifer reflected: 'It was this beautiful Henry James novel and I had this very small role. I really didn't know what I was doing, but I went to the first ADR and I'd never done it before. They taught me how to do it.
'Claudia, my friend, was visiting me from London, and she was living on a boat on the Thames with her boyfriend at the time while I was living on the kitchen floor and we went to watch this.
'And there I am on an actual screen with Albert Finney and Maggie Smith, and we left that little ADR session and we went screaming, running down Broadway, jumping up and down.'
Getting emotional over the 'magical' memory, she went on: 'It makes me want to cry thinking about it. We were like, "oh my gosh, what happened? How am I in that? How is this happening?" And we celebrated it in the most full-throated, full body way.'
The teary-eyed star added: 'And we were talking about it last night, how magical that exact moment was together,' before she got choked-up and stopped to wipe her tears, apologising: 'Sorry, it's made me cry that bit'.
In 2024, Jennifer paid homage to her Washington Square co-star Maggie, following the legendary actress' death aged 89, calling her 'the best introduction to the film industry'.
She shared a heartfelt tribute to her Instagram, where she penned: 'Maggie Smith and I worked together almost thirty years ago in my first ever movie, Washington Square.
'Maggie was the best introduction to the film industry, can you imagine? She was generous and kind, and so funny!'
'I took Maggie to HER first ever baseball game, where we had a beer and cheered for the home team. The pictures from that day have been lost for years, but I cherish the memory. RIP, Dame Maggie.'
In the noughties, Jennifer's then took off with roles in the likes of Pearl Harbour and Catch Me If You Can, as well as her Golden Globe-winning turn as Sydney Bristow in TV series, Alias.
However, she insisted that she still never took anything for granted and never anticipated her success - even with her first leading film, the beloved 2004 romcom, 13 Going On 30.
Reflecting on making the movie, she admitted being 'scared' to re-watch it because of how 'incredibly important' it was for to her to make.
'When we were doing 13 Going On 30 it was like such a lark,' she recalled. 'We didn't know if it'd be good or not. But we're all still so close. It's wild.
'If it was seminal for you to watch, it was incredibly important for me to make. Gosh, being out on the street with Judy running around in heels in a nightie…
'I haven't seen the movie in a long time. I'm scared to watch it again. I remember dancing around on the bed with those young girls. I really remember the playful energy, the joyful energy of making that movie.'
And she heaped heaped praise on her BFF and fellow film star, Reese Witherspoon , as she explained how the Academy Award winner had been there for her through difficult times, supported her career, and given her valuable parenting advice (seen together this month)
And even now, having been in the industry for more than three decades, Jennifer confessed she was stunned to still be consistently working and starring as the lead in drama series, The Last Thing He Told Me, in her 50s.
She heaped praise on her best pal Reese, as she credited her ongoing career success to the Legally Blonde star, insisting 'I really owe it to Reese Witherspoon'.
The two stars have developed a close bond over the years and are known for their longtime friendship, working together on a number of projects and frequently giving each other special shout outs and birthday tributes on social media.
Jennifer admitted: 'I cannot believe I'm still working. I cannot believe I have this job! It's not that I don't think I work hard, or that I don't think I've deserve it. It's more just like how did this happen? How have 30 years gone?
'Certainly when I was 30 nobody was thinking, "oh, when you're 53, almost 54, you're going to have a show come out that you are the lead of and that you are the hero of your own story."
'I have friends who are 20 years older than I am and the industry is completely different for me than it was for them and now they are being rediscovered as well.
'But that change in my case, I really owe it to Reese Witherspoon because she saw this and just rejected it outright and said there is an audience for female led stories and that we do need to center things around women's voices in general.
'So she started Hello Sunshine, and it's all about women's voices, women are the heroes of the stories and the books are written by women and then adapted. So she really started something that me and so many of my colleagues are benefiting from.'
Jennifer has often voiced her appreciation for Reese, previously saying she also inspired her move into producing, with her landing her first executive producer credit for The Last Thing He Told Me, alongside her BFF.
'Honestly, Reese is behind that, she has really pushed me,' the Juno star told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023.
'She said to me a few years ago, "Nobody is sitting around thinking, what can I shoot in L.A. that's going to have a 50-year-old woman in it?"
'She's like, "You've got to create your own stuff." All women in this town owe a debt of gratitude to Reese.'
While speaking during a panel discussion at Hello Sunshine's Shine On event in 2023, she also thanked Reese for providing a safe space for her and other actresses to speak their minds about the industry, without fear of being silenced.
'Those meetings happened at Reese's house. And it was the first time I'd ever sat down with that many actresses in the same room that we weren't passing each other in an award show in big dresses, where we just sat.'
She added: 'We've been siloed off the one place. The place that doesn't happen, the place that started the change where that no longer can happen is Hello Sunshine. It's just true.'
Jennifer - who recently shared the challenges of co-parenting her three children Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 13, with ex-husband Ben Affleck - also gushed over what an incredible support Reese has been to her over the years.
She said the Walk The Line star had been there for her through thick and thin and that the Oscar winner - who's also a mother of three to Ava, 26, Deacon, 22, and 13-year-old Tennessee - has also given her invaluable parenting advice.
Speaking about their long-standing friendship, she said: 'We've been friends a long time. She's younger than I am. But Reese very much has older sister energy and I really respond to that.
'I'm a middle kid, so I'm really if you tell me what to do and you're especially if you're a woman, I'm like, "Yes, yes, I will do that."
'So years ago when I had my first child and we were living in LA and this is 20 years ago, she said, "you know, you need to look at preschools because you have to get on this and these are the ones you need to look at. And if you want to get into this one, you have to be a part of this class. And you and you have to go and Ben has to go."
'And I just was like, "okay." And I did exactly what she told me. We went to that preschool, we joined the class. It was me and Ben in a parenting class, you know, and it was great. It was lovely. She has that energy with me.'
And as well as giving her great advice and guidance, Jennifer said the Wild star has also been there for her during tough times, recalling one particular 'rough patch', where Reese continued to work to raise her spirits, even after breaking her foot.
She said: 'But there have been times where I have needed her… I was going through a rough patch and was having a particularly rough day, and she was with me and we both worked out with Simone de La Rue.
'I was doing a dance cardio workout to try to feel better. Reese joined me. We kept going harder, harder. Reese broke her foot and nothing in me was about to stop. So we kept going and she just danced on a broken foot!'
Listen and watch Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show on Spotify
