Jennifer Garner knows all about second acts. In the aftermath of her divorce from Ben Affleck in 2018, she has remained one of Hollywood’s most popular actresses while also focusing on her personal life – maintaining a solid co-parenting relationship, prioritising her children’s wellbeing, and becoming a fixture at school events.
“I’m a really big believer in soaring up and over a lot of the mess of life in the long run,” says Jennifer, who has three children with her former husband: Violet, 20, who is a student at Yale University, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 14.
Today, Jennifer, 54, is happiest when she’s cooking for her family. The busy star shares recipes via her popular online series, Pretend Cooking Show, as well as promoting her organic baby-food company, Once Upon a Farm, and working with Save the Children.
This all made her the perfect person to play the food blogger Hollis Shaw in the new TV series The Five-Star Weekend, based on Elin Hilderbrand’s best-selling novel.
© Getty ImagesA famed cook and blogger, Hollis is known for her delicious recipes and warm demeanour – but when her husband dies, cracks are exposed in her seemingly picture-perfect life, from her complicated relationship with her daughter to her growing pursuit of validation from fans.
Hoping to get past her grief, Hollis invites four friends – portrayed by Regina Hall, Chloë Sevigny, Gemma Chan and D’Arcy Carden – to her home on Nantucket for the perfect girls’ weekend.
Bekah Brunstetter, the creator of the series, couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Jennifer and Hollis.
© Nathan Howard“She has lived her life in public, and she’s dealt with [rumors about her former husband’s] infidelity,” Bekah says, alluding to Jennifer’s split from Ben, 53, in 2015 after ten years of marriage. “The way she navigates her fame is really inspiring to me.”
Jennifer is the first to admit that her experiences have not been easy, but she believes that it’s possible to find a way through. “I think there’s a reaction to betrayal, right? That can be whatever it needs to be. It can be as big as you need it to be, it can be small, but every action has an equal reaction,” she says.
“So that’s step one, and that’s going to show up how it shows up. Then, do you soften over time? Is there humility from the other side? Is there growth? Who does it turn you into? Those things… just take a long time to answer.”
© Getty ImagesJennifer was previously married to the actor Scott Foley, whom she met on the set of the TV series Felicity; the couple separated in 2003 after almost three years of marriage. She tied the knot with Ben in 2005, the pair having worked together on the 2001 film Pearl Harbor and 2003’s Daredevil.
“Whether it’s examined publicly or lived privately, there’s no life that is going to reach the halfway mark without having its fair share of bumps and bruises,” Jennifer says. “Luckily, mine have been superficial. I’m standing and A-OK.”
Although Jennifer has now been in a relationship with the businessman John Miller for eight years – and today wears a sparkly ring on the ring finger of her left hand – she’s also grateful for her closest friendships.
© Peacock TV“Without a doubt, your girlfriends are the stuff of life,” she says. “Romance is lovely, but when it comes down to it, you need your girlfriends.”
In common with many parents, Jennifer’s character Hollis is grappling with her child’s difficult teenage years as she tries to work out how to talk to her daughter, who is portrayed by Harlow Jane, the real-life daughter of the actress Patricia Arquette.
© Seacia Pavao/PEACOCKJennifer understands how that feels. ‘Why do we have a harder time communicating with our kids than with people in the grocery-store checkout line?” she says. “I think we all tiptoe around it.
“Hollis’s fatal flaw in this first season is that she’s avoiding conversations that need to be had. She needs to argue with her husband, she needs to have a big fat fight – and it needs to last for a while – and they need to separate. They need to battle it out. She needs to take on her daughter, and instead, she’s so polite. She’s so removed that she’s missing out on the stuff of life.”
Hollis is surrounded by wealth and luxury, but Jennifer argues that none of that protects us from life’s struggles. “We were on the most gorgeous sets in the most beautiful locations, having this super-elite experience – but at the same time, you’re still human.
“It’s fun to look at, but we don’t want people to be perfect, because what does that say about you? Like, why am I not perfect? None of us are. Because we’re all a mess, and we’re constantly getting through whatever we’re messy about.”
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