It’s so charming when a celebrity insists that he or she has a quirky, little-used habit for no reason but for good fun. Recently, Jennifer Garner, the popular Alias and 13 Going on 30 star, did just that. She told of an honest and amusing admission of what happens when she drinks a bit too much wine. Garner took several photos of herself, pointing at the moon and making her signature big toothy smile while posing under the night sky. But what made those photos so endearing?
If you go out to dinner with me and I get more than 1.25 glasses of wine, I’m likely to ask you to take a picture of me with the moon, and I love her. That is exactly the language, that’s the exact measurement, that’s one point two five glasses, and that what makes the confession feel so authentic. Not a whole number. It is not a drink size restriction. An exact, if almost scientific, description of her own threshold between restriction and free release of the impulse for joy. Anyone who has ever experienced the subtle change after the additional sip is familiar with this. It’s a truth universally acknowledged, that a small amount of wine does not alter a person, but a lot of it is just enough to give rise to an innocent, pretty impulse to engage in the most remote, most venerable object: the moon.
This ritual is experienced from a human perspective as lived in and real. We all have a bit of this in us, a bit of laziness, a bit of benign foolishness, a bit of being a bit more willing to ask for something silly. For others, its singing in the bus.Others, it’s singing in the public bus. For some it’s an overly affectionate text. It’s not moon photography for Garner. Her confession is so likeable, because she is calling the moon a woman, and says she loves her. That’s not a show. That’s someone who has gazed into the night sky numerous times with a gentle sense of love. That love for the glass translates to a hunger for photos after a quarter of glass.
Garner has a long and illustrious career, and her acting abilities are undeniable. She started out as an understudy for New York City’s Roundabout Theatre Company, an exciting but difficult start that requires patience and discipline. In the early 2000’s, she gained widespread popularity for her role as the physically fit and emotionally intense secret agent Sydney Bristow in the action thriller series Alias. She went on to become a household name with romantic comedies such as 13 Going on 30, Juno, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Valentine’s Day. In both those movies she demonstrated her capacity to be both affectionate and funny. She has since gone on to perform in Dallas Buyers Club and family movies like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and action thrillers like Peppermint. She also extended her legs in the film Deadpool & Wolverine alongside Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman where she showed her ability to be a relevant and versatile part of Hollywood.
The fact that Garner’s story about moon rituals is set against a backdrop of her grounded public persona is what makes it even more interesting. She is not remembered for getting on a high horse or acting impulsively. Rather, she’s established herself as a loyal mom, a clever chef with her Pretend Cooking Show and someone who keeps her past marriage to Ben Affleck private and classy. Therefore it doesn’t seem like a scandal when she admits to this little wine fueled quirk. It’s as if everyone has his or her own little quirks and if we’re that relaxed, we certainly have them. This makes her more trustworthy as a public person. She’s not trying to be perfect. She’s telling an innocuous secret.
She is also planning a few more projects for her future, which enhance her authority in the entertainment industry. Next on her schedule will be One Attempt Remaining, a comedy she will be starring in alongside Kay Cannon. The movie is about a divorced couple who are put together to find a lost cryptocurrency password, one that unlocks a multi-million dollar account. It stars John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Aimee Carrero, Yara Shahidi, Nyambi Nyambi, Larry Wilmore and Gilles Marini. The premise, of course, of divorce drama set in the golden age of the internet, is already timely and funny enough. Placing herself in such a role implies that Garner enjoys storytelling that combines real human struggle and absurd humor, similar to her moon ritual.
In March, Garner posted another personal introduction to her mom, Patricia. She talked with students about her mom being a popular guest on her Pretend Cooking Show. She’s very opinionated about what we should and should not do, she loves it, she loves being recognised, she loves when people say hi to her, she’s so funny and she’s been right on everything for the past 53 years of my life. Why not the next?” It’s a wonderful mother daughter relationship, and a relationship of humor and respect. Garner also said, “When my mom is with me, I love it; she is the best, she is so cute. And another time, I was making some bagels; it was funny and then I made some beef bourguignon and was almost burning my kitchen down, which was another good one.”
These short stories collectively sketch a picture of an actor who cares more for authenticity than for polish. The moon ritual, the cooking show goofs, the sincere, no bullshit statement that her mom wants to do everything better, these are not brand math moves. They’re just snapshots of time that are captured without extensive editing. And here’s why viewers still love and trust Jennifer Garner.
