"Jennifer Garner"

Summary

SmartLess Podcast Episode Summary: "Jennifer Garner"

Podcast Information:

• Title: SmartLess
• Hosts: Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett
• Guest: Jennifer Garner
• Release Date: June 19, 2023

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I. Hosts' Banter and Celebrating Awards [02:32 – 08:17]

The episode kicks off with the hosts sharing high-energy exchanges, quickly transitioning to a heartfelt celebration of Sean Hayes winning a Tony Award. They reminisce about the challenges Sean faced while working on his Broadway play, highlighting his journey from uncertainty to receiving critical acclaim.

• Sean Hayes: "I got a Tony, man. It's unbelievable." [05:04]
• Jason Bateman: "I really, honestly forgot to thank two of my best friends in the whole world, you guys." [06:22]

II. Introduction of Guest: Jennifer Garner [09:09 – 17:00]

The hosts enthusiastically introduce Jennifer Garner, outlining her versatile career from early theater roles to blockbuster films and acclaimed television series like "Alias." They emphasize her dedication, talent, and the balance she maintains as a mother of three.

• Sean Hayes: "This is somebody who has been in many frames for many years. This person has done it all." [15:08]
• Will Arnett: "Look at her. She's back up." [16:35]

III. Jennifer Garner’s Early Career and Theater Roots [17:00 – 32:00]

Jennifer shares her transition from a chemistry major to pursuing theater, detailing her initial struggles and perseverance. She recounts working at a Shakespeare festival in Atlanta, juggling multiple roles, and honing her craft in demanding environments.

• Jennifer Garner: "I was working as a non-equity performer, so I didn't have to put myself up. In exchange for being someone's roommate, I was in charge of the laundry for the entire cast." [28:45]
• Sean Hayes: "I'd hire you right now based on this interview. It's unbelievable." [31:20]

IV. Transition to Television and "Alias" [32:00 – 43:50]

The conversation shifts to Jennifer's breakthrough role in "Alias," created by J.J. Abrams. She discusses how she landed the role, the intense training regimen, and her admiration for co-stars like Victor Garber and Kevin Kline. The hosts highlight the show's impact and Jennifer's portrayal of a strong, action-oriented protagonist.

• Jennifer Garner: "JJ gave the pilot to me, and I stood in one spot in my kitchen and read the pilot. I didn't even move. It was still, I think, the best pilot." [38:46]
• Sean Hayes: "You were the lead of this show, and you were a kick-ass lead, too." [42:00]

V. Personal Life and Relationships in Show Business [43:50 – 55:00]

Jennifer delves into her personal relationships within the industry, including friendships with co-stars and mentors. She shares anecdotes about working closely with Victor Garber and the supportive environment on set that fostered her growth as an actress.

• Jennifer Garner: "Carl Lumley taught me that I could always do half an hour of workout. Just set your clock." [42:37]
• Will Arnett: "He is such an incredible director, too." [39:11]

VI. Challenges of Parenting While Working [55:00 – 71:20]

The discussion turns to the complexities of balancing a demanding career with parenting three children. Jennifer talks about the sacrifices and adjustments required, especially concerning travel and missing important moments in her kids' lives. She also addresses her approach to managing her children's exposure to social media and maintaining open communication.

• Jennifer Garner: "Our job is just a selfish job. It's really not even in the best of circumstances." [52:16]
• Sean Hayes: "It's so important. That's really rare, and it was really heartwarming." [47:26]
• Jennifer Garner: "I have not. I don't have kids on social media, like traditional Instagram, TikTok, all that stuff." [53:45]

VII. Current Projects and Future Aspirations [71:20 – 75:34]

Jennifer discusses her recent projects, including a limited series on Apple TV. She expresses her love for cities like Austin and her dreams of returning to theater once her children are older. The hosts brainstorm playful ideas for future collaborations, reflecting the camaraderie and creative synergy among them.

• Jennifer Garner: "I have a limited series out now on Apple TV. It’s out right now." [58:57]
• Will Arnett: "We'll just do it together." [58:19]

VIII. Closing Remarks and Personal Anecdotes [75:34 – End]

As the episode concludes, Jennifer shares light-hearted stories and engages in humorous exchanges with the hosts. They collectively express their admiration and support for her, reinforcing the warmth and authenticity that defines the SmartLess podcast dynamic.

• Jason Bateman: "Thank you, Jennifer Garner. We love you." [70:56]
• Sean Hayes: "She made my day better." [71:20]

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Notable Quotes:

• Jason Bateman: "This has got to be the first time an Oscar won a Tony." [06:48]
• Jennifer Garner: "I learned to curse. I didn't used to, but I can and I do." [69:06]
• Sean Hayes: "I'm just here to kind of act as bumpers on either side to keep them within a certain range." [46:28]

---

Key Takeaways:

• Jennifer Garner's Resilience: Her journey from theater to mainstream success underscores her dedication and adaptability in the entertainment industry.
• Balancing Act: Navigating a high-profile career while raising three children presents significant challenges, highlighting the importance of support systems and prioritization.
• Mentorship and Inspiration: Influential figures like Carl Lumley have played pivotal roles in shaping Jennifer's approach to her craft and personal development.
• Authenticity and Camaraderie: The genuine and humorous interactions among the hosts and guest exemplify the podcast's commitment to authentic dialogue and shared experiences.

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This episode of SmartLess offers an insightful glimpse into Jennifer Garner's multifaceted career and personal life, enriched by the hosts' engaging conversation and memorable anecdotes. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to their discussions, this episode provides valuable perspectives on success, perseverance, and the joys and challenges of balancing work with family.

Transcript

[Jason Bateman]

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[Will Arnett]

So listener, we all know English. You know it because you're listening to me. You're understanding me. But what if I was talking in a different language? Like that annoying co host of mine. Will Arnett loves to twat on in French. You know, he likes to prove he's Canadian. He's proud of it. Like, I get it. I'm a little jealous. That's why you're picking up the in my voice. So this Rosetta Stone company, they can teach you how to speak, understand, write any language you want, I think. But I know they got French covered. So I'm making a big threat to myself, to the world, to you, and to specifically Will Arnett that I'm going to learn French so that I can stop rolling my eyes and actually get excited. The eyebrows go up next time I hear him talking French. Or if you're watching a foreign film and you're tired of reading, you want to watch a movie, you don't want to look at the, at the subtitles. All of these things make Rosetta Stone a good fit for me. So, you know, maybe, maybe it would fit for you after all. Rosetta Stone is the most trusted language learning program to truly immerse yourself in the language you want to learn. It's available on desktop or as an app. It's trusted for 30 years with millions of users and 25 languages offered. Do not put off learning that language. There's no better time than right now to get started. Smartless listeners can get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off. Visit rosettastone.com smartless that's 50% off. Unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your Life. Redeem your 50% [e-mail] SM today. Hey guys, listen. I'm super high energy.

[Sean Hayes]

I'm high energy. You think you're high energy? I'm high energy.

[Jason Bateman]

I'm probably the highest I've ever been.

[Sean Hayes]

I just got a call from the high energy industry, guys.

[Will Arnett]

I shot the coffee into the back of my knee. I'M on fire right now.

[Sean Hayes]

Listen, I just pulled my car here. I didn't even have time to let it drive.

[Will Arnett]

I didn't even turn it on.

[Jason Bateman]

I just had two pints of Haagen Dazs.

[Sean Hayes]

Hang on.

[Will Arnett]

Like guys flying. Let's make sure we get this episode started while we still got the gas. Ready? Here comes smart. Smart.

[Sean Hayes]

Smart. Jay, I don't know if you want to start or. I'm going to start.

[Will Arnett]

Wait, are. Are you retiring from smartness? No, no, no, that's.

[Sean Hayes]

I'm not. Wait, why are you.

[Will Arnett]

Well, we do have a very great replacement waiting. Whenever you're ready to. It can. Doesn't have to be now. It can be next year or whenever.

[Sean Hayes]

Sideswiped. I got it. I feel.

[Will Arnett]

I just want to give him a heads up.

[Sean Hayes]

I want to. Oh, you.

[Will Arnett]

You're not retiring.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay. No, what I was gonna say was. Jesus.

[Will Arnett]

Sorry.

[Sean Hayes]

How excited we are for Shawnee winning the Tony.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, well, there's that. I mean, Sean Hayes won a Tony.

[Sean Hayes]

Tony, Best actor for Good Night. Oscar. I.

[Will Arnett]

We don't have that level of class here.

[Sean Hayes]

I know.

[Jason Bateman]

It's so very nice. Very nice.

[Will Arnett]

Remember when. Remember when you said you were going to go do this play in Chicago? An idea that you had. You got this great writer and. Yeah. Gosh, you're scared and you don't know how it's going to go.

[Sean Hayes]

Doug, what's his name?

[Will Arnett]

Well, and you got great reviews and there was a possibility of it going to Broadway. You weren't sure.

[Sean Hayes]

Remember you and Scotty were in that shitty apartment in Chicago right above the fire station.

[Will Arnett]

Whatever got such a deal on it.

[Sean Hayes]

And you were so hit that.

[Will Arnett]

And then you go to Broadway and you're not quick.

[Sean Hayes]

Name of the theater, Jason. Name of the theater.

[Will Arnett]

The spiciest seats in the West. And then you do a great job that you get great reviews. And then, like, don't talk about Tony nominations because you'll jinx it. And then you got a nomination. Unbeliev. Unbelievable. He's never gonna win, Right? They can't give Shawn Hayes, but they give him the.

[Sean Hayes]

They give him the drama desk and the outer circles, but in the Tony he's not gonna get.

[Will Arnett]

Well, then yours is spelled with an I, right? And it's dotted with a heart. Right.

[Sean Hayes]

I mean, it's.

[Will Arnett]

It's like more of a certificate than an award.

[Sean Hayes]

The Tony. Tony. Tony's.

[Jason Bateman]

Tony's done it again. But no, very kind.

[Sean Hayes]

Congrats, man.

[Jason Bateman]

That's very sweet. You guys already have showered me with so Much love and praise in our texts and things. So. But thank you. And it is wild. It's wild to Jason, what you just said about doing, you know, the week we shot that document or the two weeks we shot that doc series that it's now airing. I was trying to memorize that.

[Will Arnett]

Where would we see that, by the way? If somebody wanted to see that? If somebody wanted to see, where would they go? It's Max. Oh, Max. That's where they'd find it on.

[Sean Hayes]

No, no, you're learning your. We. We. We arrived. We did those shows on the weekend. And the next day you flew to Chicago.

[Will Arnett]

That's right.

[Jason Bateman]

And the next day flew to Chicago to do it.

[Sean Hayes]

But after the last show.

[Jason Bateman]

But Jay, you were sleeping or something, and I asked Will to run lines with me.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Oh, really?

[Jason Bateman]

And Will ran lines with me on the couch, and I was like, yeah, it was that. That's so bizarre to me. That bizarre. And.

[Sean Hayes]

And that's why they got. I got the special.

[Will Arnett]

You got a certificate.

[Sean Hayes]

I'm on the Tony. Yeah. They engraved just a little spot.

[Will Arnett]

Just look underneath it.

[Sean Hayes]

It says rail skills.

[Will Arnett]

It says SK into it. But we just could not be prouder. And the fact that we've both seen it and can attest to its quality is. Is also.

[Jason Bateman]

Well. And I. You know, you get so nervous when you get up there and you receive an award and you forget to thank people. And I really, honestly forgot to thank two of my best friends in the whole world, you guys.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, wait, what?

[Jason Bateman]

And my family too.

[Will Arnett]

I thought I was actually taken by how together you were up with that. Oh, my God.

[Jason Bateman]

I was like, wreck.

[Will Arnett]

I was an incredible actor. Because you seemed not nervous at all.

[Sean Hayes]

I love when you said Scott. It's Scotty, right? And you were so funny.

[Jason Bateman]

And the only. The only. The only one liner I had ready should I had one was, this has got to be the first time an Oscar won a Tony.

[Will Arnett]

Yes.

[Jason Bateman]

And in the room there, eh, didn't land so well. It was on tv.

[Sean Hayes]

You played great, so who cares about the room? Right?

[Jason Bateman]

But. But the.

[Sean Hayes]

Listen, I was watching. I was watching that thing and I was just thinking, you see all these theater people in there? And they got there in the biggest night. And I thought, man, this is. This is showbiz for losers. You know.

[Jason Bateman]

Will texted that. Will was texting me in real time while he was watching the Tony Awards, saying, this is the first time I've ever watched the Tony Awards because of you, and you better win. But it was wild. Also when they call Your name. It's that weird thing where you watch TV your whole life, whether it's Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, whatever, and you watch other people walk up there and you're like, oh, that's so nice. I'm a big fan. Or I love that show or that. Whatever. That actor. And then when you're. While I was walking up the steps, it was like, I'm not supposed to be. Walk like other people walk up the steps. That's supposed to be you.

[Will Arnett]

Didn't you get used to that walk with the. What is it, a half a dozen Emmys? You've won gold globes, SAG awards, all these other things.

[Sean Hayes]

I was just thinking, between us. Between us, we've won a handful of Golden Globes and Emmys and sags and Tony. I mean, that's amazing.

[Will Arnett]

Isn't that we didn't be an EGOT group.

[Sean Hayes]

No, but between the three of us, we've won all these. I mean, I haven't won any of them. But. But you guys. And then I. But. But between the three of us.

[Will Arnett]

But you ran lines with both of us.

[Sean Hayes]

I've run lines with both you guys, and you've both been won. So. Yeah, if you look at my thing, like, yeah, technically, I've never wondered. An award, but, you know, that's.

[Jason Bateman]

We want. Hey, we all three won a Webby.

[Will Arnett]

We did.

[Sean Hayes]

We did.

[Will Arnett]

We did a few of them.

[Sean Hayes]

We did.

[Jason Bateman]

Guys, thank you so much for saying that. Truly, truly. Thank you for all the love and support you've shown me and the show by talking about it on the podcast. And you guys are the best. I love you very much.

[Sean Hayes]

No, we love you. And anyway, we had to talk about it because it was just. It was too important. And now we can get to our regular scheduled program, which is the fantastic Jennifer Garner episode.

[Will Arnett]

Welcome to Smart List.

[Sean Hayes]

Welcome to Smart List.

[Jason Bateman]

Welcome to Smart List. That is very sweet, you guys. Thank you.

[Sean Hayes]

Shani, are you happy that we're on day two of your days off?

[Will Arnett]

Yes.

[Sean Hayes]

This is your weekend right now. Monday, Tuesday is your weekend.

[Jason Bateman]

It is Monday. Tuesday is my weekend.

[Will Arnett]

How's your eyeball? Have you been performing?

[Jason Bateman]

No. I'm going to go back after we're done here. I'm going to go back and see if my retina is detached. Isn't that crazy?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. But did he restick it last week?

[Jason Bateman]

Well, I don't know. Do you guys? We talked about Vasovagal, right? Where he gets sick and you faint.

[Sean Hayes]

Yep.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. He. He puts this. He puts the anesthesia in your eye and then opens it and sticks something in your eye to keep it open.

[Will Arnett]

This is an eye doctor or just a fellow downstairs proctologist?

[Sean Hayes]

This is the guy.

[Jason Bateman]

And. And he. Then he shoots lasers in your eye, and it's kind of painful, like from the hip. Yeah, he shoots from.

[Sean Hayes]

Pew. Pew.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. And he puts those Star wars sounds in it to make me. To soothe him.

[Sean Hayes]

He does, huh? Yeah. That guy's not an accredited doctor, Sean.

[Will Arnett]

But, Sean, you've been. You've been doing the show, right? Didn't you. What, did you have, like, one day off or two days off with the. After the. I just.

[Jason Bateman]

My second day, I got Mondays and Tuesdays off.

[Will Arnett]

No, no, but I mean, after you got your laser.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, the laser thing on Tuesday. And had two shows the next day.

[Sean Hayes]

You did seven shows after the laser thing.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Did you bump into any. Any. Any cast members or set decoration?

[Jason Bateman]

No, no set decoration. No, I did. Okay, but I'm supposed to bang my head, you know, when I try to get those voices out of my head. So I cut back and I just grabbed my head. Now, that's good.

[Will Arnett]

Not as good.

[Jason Bateman]

Do you.

[Sean Hayes]

Do you feel like it might be a nice kind of homage if eventually you end up using your mom's eye? Well, no, I'm serious, because I know that Tracy's got it right. Trace.

[Jason Bateman]

I could use that.

[Sean Hayes]

Trace. Get it shined up.

[Jason Bateman]

I could get. I could finally see how my mom saw.

[Sean Hayes]

Guys, no, you're not gonna have to do that. I think you're okay because you made it through last week.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, we're gonna find. I know I made it through one week, so we're gonna find out what happens today after we're done here, and then I'll let you guys know. Cause I'm sure you'll be on the edge of your seats.

[Sean Hayes]

Hey, quick question, Jason. Are you wearing one of those sauna sweatsuits that looks like. Are you trying to. Are you trying to cut weight?

[Will Arnett]

It's just. Just a crappy overthrow. It's a little cloudy today. You know, speaking of proctologists, guys, our next guest.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait, what?

[Will Arnett]

It's not my guest.

[Jason Bateman]

Jay, me and you have the exact same glasses on today.

[Will Arnett]

And same hair. We should start at that.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, you part yours in the middle.

[Will Arnett]

No, it's not meant to be in the middle. It really isn't. You know, I look like a water yak when it goes down.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, we've been through what it looks like in profile when it's just the outline.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, on the smartless logo. I look like a dickhead.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, a literal. But let's not.

[Jason Bateman]

By the way, let's talk about our FaceTime last night. Will, for two seconds.

[Will Arnett]

Was I on two seconds?

[Jason Bateman]

No, no. And he in literally never seen any human being eat this fast. He's talking, he's talking, he's talking. While I'm talking to him, he's making a sandwich. Maybe 30 seconds later, the entire sandwich is gone. It's a ham and cheese sandwich gone.

[Will Arnett]

Like that was a small size bread or something?

[Jason Bateman]

No, it was a full size bread.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, big sandwich. I just hammered it in like four bites.

[Jason Bateman]

And then he went on a hike.

[Sean Hayes]

I needed fuel to go on your hike, you know, and I went on a hike.

[Will Arnett]

Did you put on. Did you strap on the heavy hands and the heavy ankles and walk up the hills?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, I wore the weight vest.

[Will Arnett]

And did you zip into the rubber suit?

[Sean Hayes]

I wish.

[Jason Bateman]

Do you ever talk on your hike while you're on the phone? Do you ever pass anybody?

[Will Arnett]

What? Wait, what kind of question is that?

[Jason Bateman]

Meaning, like, when you're walking and do you talk to people on your hike? Because I don't like it when people are like, so I do sometimes. What are you doing tonight? And I'm like, just call me when you're done.

[Sean Hayes]

I'll roll calls sometimes.

[Will Arnett]

What if you got one of those. You know, they use them for motion capture where you wear the helmet with the camera that's looking back at you. You could do FaceTimes while you're watching FaceTime.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, but you know what I mean, when people are like talking to you.

[Sean Hayes]

I do. Of course I do. I'm that guy. And what happens is, also is that street is I will have. And you don't always look the best because it's quite straight uphill and you get quite tired. Jay, we've done it before together. And remember Amanda's mom used to do it every day. And people go like, yeah, man, I see you. I saw you out there the other day. And I'm like thinking like, I just looked like a sweaty slob that was.

[Will Arnett]

Huffing and puffing at noon on a weekday.

[Sean Hayes]

Actually, you saw me there a couple weeks ago. You pulled over.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah, but you pulled over.

[Sean Hayes]

Cause you didn't know it was me. You thought I was just a hot guy walking up the hill. That's what you. You said he. And then you saw me. I mean, ha, ha.

[Jennifer Garner]

Hey.

[Will Arnett]

Well, hi, guy.

[Jason Bateman]

Hi, guy instead of hot guy. Hi, guy.

[Sean Hayes]

This our guest is.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, wait, really quick.

[Sean Hayes]

Sorry, go ahead. I guess Our guest does need.

[Jason Bateman]

No, no. Just really quick. One of the most embarrassing moments of my entire life. I was driving off the NBC lot. This is decades ago. And there was this really good looking guard and I rolled down. A friend of mine was in the car with me and I looked back just as I passed him and I went like that. And I noticed the guard saw me do that and all of him and the five other guards were laughing so hard because they knew it was me that checked him out and was so embarrassed. That's my story.

[Will Arnett]

Well, we always need something to cut. Will your guess.

[Jason Bateman]

I don't know. That's pretty good. I don't know if you're going to want to cut that all the way.

[Will Arnett]

There and no destination.

[Sean Hayes]

I tell you who never gets cut.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, great.

[Sean Hayes]

Is our guest today. This person is not going to get. Because you're going to want to see this person. And the people who hire this person want this person to be in every frame of everything they do. Because this is somebody who has been in many frames for many years. This is a person who's done the really run the gamut. Started in New York. First professional job was in understudy. The Queen's. Yeah. And then moved into tv. Did the whole thing. Paid her dues in tv. Guest stars on all the biggest shows and pilots and shows that lasted three episodes and six episodes and then nothing.

[Will Arnett]

Fred.

[Sean Hayes]

And then got a show that clicked and clicked in the biggest way that people. It's not Fran Drescher. Clicked in the way that people just loved and couldn't get enough of. And guess what happens when you do that? People start saying we need to put you into our film. And boy, did she start doing films. Big, huge commercial films. Big, huge award nominated and winning films. This person has done it all.

[Jason Bateman]

You're not saying anything.

[Sean Hayes]

All while being a mom to three kids and maintaining a consistency over time which is really the mark of somebody who's incredible. Guys, I haven't given it away yet, but you know her from Alias. You loved her in Daredevil. You knew her in Pearl Harbor. You liked her yesterday. It's Jennifer Garner.

[Will Arnett]

See Jen Garner. Look at her. She's back up.

[Jason Bateman]

Look at her go. Hello. I usually have a baseball. Okay, wait a minute. Jennifer, go.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah. You always have a hat on.

[Jason Bateman]

I always do.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

You, me and Jason have the exact same glasses frames on right now.

[Will Arnett]

Listener. We've had a lot of nice people on this show.

[Sean Hayes]

Sure.

[Will Arnett]

None as nice as Jen Bateman.

[Jennifer Garner]

I'm so happy to see you.

[Will Arnett]

Hi.

[Jennifer Garner]

Guys, I got so nervous. Do people get nervous when you're about to introduce them?

[Will Arnett]

No. Like, I have a runny tummy right now, always.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, let's not. I. People do, I think. I don't know if people get nervous, but. But I think that nerves are always a good sign. That means you're ready of a real person. It means that you're in the moment. Hi. Jennifer Garner. We've never met before.

[Jennifer Garner]

I know. That is so weird to me because I only remember you from the Venice days and the. The whole. Yeah. Your whole compound.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, the whole. I was in the compound with everybody who was in your show.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait, you guys have never met in a compound?

[Jennifer Garner]

I know. Isn't that weird?

[Sean Hayes]

When I was living out with Bradley, Bradley and I were in the back.

[Jennifer Garner]

And Ron Rifkin and Iva were in the front. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

And where were you, Jen?

[Jason Bateman]

How could you never meet if you guys were that close?

[Jennifer Garner]

I would kind of skulk around to try to avoid him. But wait, were you living.

[Will Arnett]

You were living in the same building, Jen?

[Jennifer Garner]

No, No, I wasn't. It's just like Ron and Iva. Ron Rifkin and his wife were in one part of the compound, and Ron was on Alias. He played Sloane. And Bradley Cooper was there.

[Will Arnett]

Right. So when Transpo was driving the van in the morning picking up all the cast members, you're surprised.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, you must not have seen the show. No, no, no. It wasn't that kind of. This is.

[Jennifer Garner]

Sometimes I saw Will taking out the garbage, but.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, by the way, I didn't take out the garbage. That's why Ron got mad at me. Do you know that story?

[Jennifer Garner]

No, but I'm not surprised.

[Sean Hayes]

I thought that's why you brought it up.

[Will Arnett]

You don't want Ron Rifkin running after you.

[Sean Hayes]

Ron? I used to. We were, I guess, working Arrested Development at the time. And I was never there first thing in the morning on Monday morning, whatever it was, or Thursday mornings. And at this point, Bradley moved out and Robbie Bates had moved into Bradley's place.

[Jennifer Garner]

Right, right, right, right, right.

[Sean Hayes]

So Robbie was there, and I go. And all of a sudden, like, Ron was kind of. I go. I think Ron's mad at me because I haven't taken the trash out. Because I don't get.

[Will Arnett]

Why is it your job?

[Sean Hayes]

It was anybody's job, whoever could do it. But Ron would do it, right. At 5pm the moment you're allowed to put it out. The night before, he would put it out. And I'm like, I didn't get home till 7, 8 o'clock from work. So I think he's mad at me. And Robbie's like, oh, you're reading into it. You're being crazy. I'm like, okay. And like, two months later, Fist on the Hip. Who was it? Who? I saw. I saw Fist on the Hip. I saw somebody, and they said to me, oh, I ran into Ron Rifkin at a party, and he says that you never take the trash out. I said, I knew it. And I said to Robby, I'm like, who's crazy now?

[Jason Bateman]

All right, if we don't cut me, you don't want that story, NBC guard.

[Sean Hayes]

You don't want the Ron Rifkin trash.

[Will Arnett]

The people just listen to it in double time. See, Jen, there's nothing to be nervous about. We don't let you get a word in edgewise. It's not talking.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait, it's Jennifer Garner, everybody. By the way, you are the most delicious person. You are so sweet and kind. What's with the 1950s microphone?

[Jennifer Garner]

I don't know. This just came. Your lovely guys sent it.

[Sean Hayes]

We sent it over. So Jennifer Garner. And I was again. Can I. I can call. Can I call you Jen?

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, unless you're gonna use the whole thing. I mean.

[Will Arnett]

And does anybody call you Jenny?

[Jennifer Garner]

No, Very few people. There's a first ad that I love who calls me Jenny. Like, people like that. Just random people in my life. But I. Never mind. But.

[Will Arnett]

Well, you call Anist and Jenny sometimes. I always find it very cute. I think it's very, very affectionate.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, I like Jenny as a nickname for Jen. Yes, in a weird way. But I didn't grow up as a Jenny. But I bet Jen Aniston would agree with me that we, you know, why weren't we named, like, Savannah or, I don't know, Ireland or something? Savannah?

[Sean Hayes]

Well, I also call Jason. I also call your wife Mandy. And nobody else calls her Mandy, but that's calling her Mandy. But so, Jen, I want to go way back because I love your trajectory. It's so great. And I mentioned it in the lead in, when I was reading about you.

[Jennifer Garner]

That all the frames.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, well, I also. I felt very similar in that, like, I could. When I looked at all the stuff that you did and the shows that got canceled and the three episodes and this stuff, I. That was my pain for so many years as well. You had all these near misses. You think like, oh, this is the. I'm so excited about this show. And then before you know it. Yeah, this is the one. Before you Know. And jb you know what it's like, too. I mean, oh, my God. All of a sudden, it's gone, and you're like.

[Jennifer Garner]

I remember I did a movie. My first, like, movie movie was Mr. Magoo with. Starring Leslie Nielsen as Mr. Magoo.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, my God. I remember that.

[Jennifer Garner]

I'm sure you do.

[Sean Hayes]

I do.

[Jennifer Garner]

And when it was coming out, I knew so little that I thought, well, I guess I get to go to the Oscars this year because I'm in a movie. I seriously was like, well, I guess.

[Jason Bateman]

I better get ready.

[Jennifer Garner]

I better go shopping.

[Will Arnett]

Is it true that Leslie Nielsen, every day of his life, walked around with a little fart machine in his pocket?

[Jennifer Garner]

He did. There was a fart machine? Yeah, there was a fart.

[Will Arnett]

I think that's so awesome.

[Jason Bateman]

That'd be good.

[Will Arnett]

There's also this guy, and I can't.

[Jennifer Garner]

Remember who it was or there wasn't a machine, but there was farting one way or another. Maybe there wasn't a fart machine.

[Jason Bateman]

I was gonna say Jay doesn't need a machine.

[Will Arnett]

Yep, there's a guy. I feel like it's not Jeffrey Tambor, but it's somebody like that. Equally hilarious that his bit, his whole life is to walk around with a little bit of loose change in his pocket, and he just drops it as he walks by people. Right? Isn't that just. Well, just because you can't help but go, oh, sir, you. You know, like, you just keep walking. You just drop a loose change.

[Jason Bateman]

It's a fun.

[Sean Hayes]

It keeps it fun. So first. So you're shopping for The Oscars after Mr. Magoo. Happy birth.

[Will Arnett]

That's another great bit. Just say that like, in an elevator, out of nowhere. Sorry, Willie.

[Sean Hayes]

So you're ready to go to the Oscars after Mr. Magoo? What was the thing? What had you done before Mr. Magoo? Had you done a bunch of shows before then? What was the first?

[Jason Bateman]

And by the way, weren't you a theater nerd, too?

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, I was a theater nerd. Well, let's go. Let's just. Let's go back then, Will.

[Sean Hayes]

Let's go back.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

You started as a. You weren't a theater major to begin with. Is that true?

[Jennifer Garner]

Correct. I was a chemistry major.

[Sean Hayes]

Wow. Wow, wow.

[Jason Bateman]

Are you still. Do you have, like, that kind of the brain that loves that still?

[Jennifer Garner]

No, no, no. I don't think I had it then. I just think my dad was a chemical engine. He's a retired chemical engineer, and I come from a chemistry town. Like, it was union carbide Dow Dupont. Yeah. There are like five people left. No, not really.

[Jason Bateman]

Do you ever like drinking water?

[Sean Hayes]

Must be delicious.

[Jennifer Garner]

It's all different colors, rainbow flavors.

[Sean Hayes]

Sure.

[Jason Bateman]

Do you have a sci fi brain, though, that. Do you like sci fi because of Alias and all that, or. No.

[Jennifer Garner]

No.

[Jason Bateman]

All right, well, you don't have to be.

[Jennifer Garner]

No, I'm just thinking, like, you would think that, but no, I just.

[Will Arnett]

Your girls aren't taking chemistry yet, are they? Franny's taking chemistry. I don't know.

[Jennifer Garner]

Oh, my gosh. My daughter's a junior.

[Will Arnett]

Yes. So then she is. Yes. So she's done with chemistry.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah. How. How old are yours?

[Will Arnett]

Franny's 16 and Maple is 11.

[Jennifer Garner]

Oh, wow. Okay. I have 16, 14, and 11.

[Will Arnett]

Are you helping out with chemistry at all?

[Jennifer Garner]

No. No, no, no.

[Will Arnett]

You didn't retain any of it?

[Jennifer Garner]

I don't remember. I mean, truly, I can't help with that homework of that. Of my high school junior. Not even. I can hardly.

[Jason Bateman]

What about math? What about math?

[Jennifer Garner]

She had her ap. My. Her bc, calc, AP whatever. Her exam yesterday.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it's definitely.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, yeah, definitely derivative. Like, I don't even. When's the last time you dealt with a parabola? You know what I mean?

[Sean Hayes]

Today. I mean, what time?

[Jennifer Garner]

I feel like. I feel like we really shouldn't have to do it. Jason, I haven't seen you in a long time.

[Will Arnett]

I know.

[Jennifer Garner]

You know?

[Will Arnett]

I know. Remember when we used to work together like once every like eight or nine months? Yeah.

[Jennifer Garner]

Remember when we worked together all the time?

[Sean Hayes]

You guys did Juno.

[Jennifer Garner]

We did Juno.

[Sean Hayes]

What else?

[Jennifer Garner]

But before that, we did the Kingdom.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, you did the Kingdom, of course.

[Will Arnett]

Was Kingdom before Juno?

[Jennifer Garner]

Kingdom was before Juno.

[Will Arnett]

Didn't we do a third thing together?

[Jennifer Garner]

We did. And I always forget and I actually looked built it up because we didn't have scenes together, that's why.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, it was the Ricky Gervais.

[Jennifer Garner]

It was invention of lying. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Yes. Yes.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, I love that movie.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

And now a word from our sponsor.

[Jason Bateman]

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[Sean Hayes]

So you become a theater nerd. You're at Denison, you switch majors, you don't want to be a chemical engineer. You become, you're working on the sets, you're doing all this stuff, you're blah, blah, blah, blah. And then what? You're like, all right, I graduate, I'm out of here and I'm gonna go and work all the time.

[Jennifer Garner]

Okay, so then I worked at a Shakespeare festival in Atlanta, Georgia the summer after I graduated. And while we were there, there was a musical. Cause I really, I loved musicals. And there was a musical, a new version of what's it called? Taming of the Shrew.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Jennifer Garner]

No. What is taming? Taming of the Shrew is the name of the. Which is Kiss Me Kate. There's Kiss Me Kate, but apparently there needed to be another one. So it was called Dancing with the One I Love. And so that show was taken to a theater in a strip mall in Fort Lauderdale.

[Will Arnett]

Sure.

[Jennifer Garner]

Called the Brian C. Smith Off Broadway Theater. And I.

[Sean Hayes]

We're still with you.

[Will Arnett]

This is next to Turbo Tax.

[Jennifer Garner]

Right. It literally was. It was shut down for tax evasion later.

[Jason Bateman]

Sure.

[Jennifer Garner]

But I went down with that show and performed there. And I was there as a non equity performer because I had been hiding from my equity card because I could work more, you know.

[Will Arnett]

Right.

[Jennifer Garner]

So I was working as a non equity performer, so I didn't have. They didn't have to put me up. So in exchange for being someone's roommate, I was in charge of the laundry for the entire cast. And there were 35 men. We did eight shows a week. So I washed and ironed all there. But I got really good at ironing.

[Sean Hayes]

No way.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, I did all of every. All of the washing, drying, all of the. All the dry cleaning.

[Will Arnett]

Touch anyone's dirty clothes.

[Jennifer Garner]

I love dirty clothes. I want to iron your little poncho so badly.

[Will Arnett]

Your hand goes in the wrong spot, you know?

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, gosh.

[Will Arnett]

How dirty can you look for the waistband? Grab that.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, my God.

[Jason Bateman]

Do you love that? Of all, like. Of all household shorts. You love ironing. Like, it calm. Like, do you love that? I have a friend that loves ironing.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, I get that. I got really into it at the time. I was. So I just ironed all. I ironed all the time. So, yeah, I used to be.

[Will Arnett]

One of my chores on the weekends.

[Sean Hayes]

I just learned a new. A new hack is to. If you have, like, rings on a wood. On a wood table, something like that, and you put like a. Just a damp towel on it and you iron it and it'll bring the ring mark off.

[Will Arnett]

Maybe not.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, my God.

[Sean Hayes]

I learned it on the TikTok. Hey, so listen, YouTube shorts. Yeah, YouTube short shorts. They're called culottes. So, Jen, so you're in Florida. You're doing a ton of laundry and Hollywood cars.

[Jennifer Garner]

I was doing a ton of laundry, and after it was over, I was driving north to audition for Back to Georgia. Yeah, I was driving up north to audition for Utah Shake for the next summer. And when I was on my way there, I met a casting director in Philadelphia at a restaurant, and he said, you should. You should come and read for this little movie. Anyway, I ended up in New York for a couple of days, and while I was there, I went on an audition and I actually. I opened the backstage. I went on a bunch of auditions, and because I was so green and so fresh off the bus, like West Virginia girl, I just got everything that day that I went on. They were all these little non equity jobs. It was just one of those days, you know, where it's just like. It's my first day in New York. Hi, y'all.

[Sean Hayes]

I'd hire you right now based on this interview. It's unbelievable, right?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Jennifer Garner]

So somebody said, you should meet an agent. I met this agent. She said, I want to send you to the Roundabout to see if you could get an understudy job. And so, anyway, then I did, and then I started working at Isabella's. Do you remember Isabella's? On the southeast corner of 77th street and Columbus Avenue?

[Will Arnett]

Yes, that's a bar.

[Sean Hayes]

Yes, I do.

[Will Arnett]

A restaurant.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah. It was across from the Natural Museum of History.

[Sean Hayes]

Yes, I know, Isabella's. Yeah, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Did you ever get loaded in there, Will?

[Sean Hayes]

I sure did, but that was a lot. That was a different lifestyle.

[Will Arnett]

So how quickly after that were you back on the bus out to Hollywood?

[Jennifer Garner]

A few years. Because I had never. I only wanted to do theater.

[Sean Hayes]

Right.

[Jennifer Garner]

And.

[Jason Bateman]

And you have this, like, amazing singing voice that not a lot of people know that you have, but you do. No, that was the but.

[Will Arnett]

So that was the dream. To do musicals on Broadway. Never to go out to Hollywood.

[Jennifer Garner]

I mean, it was just to be in theater. I didn't really. I mean, I love dancing. I don't really have a voice that could be a professional singing voice, unless it's, like the range from, you know, here to here, but Broadway quality. Yeah, I don't have, like, a Broadway voice, but I have a karaoke voice. We've done karaoke. Sort of fancy karaoke. But anyway, yeah, then I was super broke, and I had just finally auditioned for a TV thing this agent sent me on, and she said, well, they want to test you for this. And I said, I'm understudying right now. And she said, they'll give you $150 a day, cash, per diem. And I so badly needed that cash. I was so broke that I came to LA to test for something, and I got that job, and it was to play Melissa Gilbert's daughter in a Danielle Steele miniseries. So then I did that.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, God.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

I was up for the same part.

[Will Arnett]

Wow.

[Sean Hayes]

Wow.

[Will Arnett]

I love. Melissa Gilbert was one of my first crushes yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

You guys are so. You guys are so tied to each other. Because I was just thinking, Jay, you worked with Melissa Gilbert on Little House.

[Will Arnett]

Yes, sir. Yeah. That's when things all started to happen for me. Testosterone.

[Jennifer Garner]

I kept calling her Laura. I remember, in hair and makeup, I kept calling her Laura.

[Sean Hayes]

Did you really?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Jennifer Garner]

She taught me everything. I'd never been in front of. I'd never been in front of a camera. I'd never paid attention to any of it. She taught me what a call sheet was, who to talk to for things. She taught me about the camera turning around. I had no. I was totally clueless.

[Sean Hayes]

She was really good. That's so sweet. That's so nice. Did you guys. Did you stay connected with her at all after? Yeah.

[Jennifer Garner]

You did? Yeah, I have.

[Will Arnett]

You know, she's in. She's in government and politics in Michigan.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah. I had a fundraiser for her. Yep.

[Will Arnett]

Married to Timothy Busfield.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Jennifer Garner]

Very happily.

[Will Arnett]

The great Timothy Busfield.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Couple of gingers.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Found each other. Well, my son's a ginger, so I always have a. I always have a soft spot. One of my sons. Sweet, sweet, ginger, sweet Abel. So you do the movie with. Now you've. And then she's taught you everything you need to know about showbiz in half hour.

[Jennifer Garner]

So then I'm in.

[Sean Hayes]

So now you're in.

[Jennifer Garner]

Then I went back to New York, and I was still, you know, And I would. Every time I would get some kind of play, I would be so broke, I would get like an episode of Law and Order or of some dumb thing, and I would have. I would take that job because I needed that topic.

[Will Arnett]

Well, you did Law and Order, right?

[Sean Hayes]

I did. I did.

[Jennifer Garner]

Scale plus 10.

[Sean Hayes]

Scale plus 10. You're just so stoked. But also, you're working in the city, and as you like, you like, you're working in the city, you're so excited that you get to shoot in the city, and you end up shooting on. You're like, I was just here yesterday buying milk, and now I'm here shooting. You know what I mean? You're so excited.

[Jennifer Garner]

It's so crazy, isn't it, when you first are driving or going up somewhere and you see big caravans and a whole set in a base camp, and you're like, wow, there's a movie shooting there. And you're like, wait a minute, that's me. Do you remember that?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Jennifer Garner]

I still feel that way.

[Jason Bateman]

I still get that way.

[Will Arnett]

Driving up to location and just seeing all the trucks, it's like, yeah, yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Because I remember, like, moving to Los Angeles for the first time, seeing that, and, like, just waiting tables and you're like, that'd be so cool. What are they filming over there? I'd love to be a part of it.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

How did. How did. So. So right off the bus from West Virginia, you're in New York. You're very green. How did that. How. How did you find the city? Was it. Was it scary or did you adapt immediately?

[Jennifer Garner]

I was pretty happy. I mean, I just. I really went right into it. I just would pay my $20 to stand at the back of the Broadway house to watch every show that I could by myself like this. And I would go to museums and I mean, I just was. I was nerding out.

[Will Arnett]

So you weren't going to the discos in the bars and the.

[Jennifer Garner]

No, I wasn't doing that. But my mom always told me that the more people you make eye contact is with and smile at during this day on the street, like strangers, the happier you are as a person, so. Oh, the cuckoo clock. Sorry. But so as I was walking.

[Sean Hayes]

Does that go off every time you quote something cuckoo? Your mom said.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yes, it would be very busy, quiet.

[Sean Hayes]

Wait, by the way.

[Jason Bateman]

By the way, Jen, that was cuckoo.

[Sean Hayes]

There's a lot of wisdom in that. Because I like that your mom said that. And I was just listening to a thing today because it lends itself to the cuckoo clocks. Amazing.

[Will Arnett]

Can we get locations on the cuckoo clock, please?

[Sean Hayes]

I wish Melissa Gilbert had told you about sound while we're rolling.

[Jennifer Garner]

I'm going with that. Cuckoo.

[Sean Hayes]

So there's a lot of wisdom in that. I like this idea that it's kind of, you know, you get what you put out there. And so. And I think that that's true. If you go out and you make eye contact and you smile at people and you kind of. You project joy. You're going to get joy coming back your way.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, right.

[Jennifer Garner]

Okay. But when you first moved to New York.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, that's crazy. Yeah. No, that's crazy.

[Jennifer Garner]

That is very hard on the population of New York. It's very tiring. I was like, hi.

[Will Arnett]

Hi.

[Jennifer Garner]

How you doing? Nice day. I like your shoes. I mean, it was a lot. I was. I was a lot. You were a lot for me.

[Sean Hayes]

You can't compliment people's shoes in New York. But. But when you're. Where was your first apartment? Do you remember what part of the city?

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, I lived on a woman's kitchen floor on 85th and Broadway.

[Sean Hayes]

Wow.

[Jennifer Garner]

She had a studio. But the Kitchen was kind of its own alcove, and I had a little futon and my suitcase for nine months.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow.

[Will Arnett]

Like a puppy.

[Sean Hayes]

What year. What year was that, do you think?

[Jennifer Garner]

Like a puppy.

[Sean Hayes]

What year was it?

[Jennifer Garner]

94.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Jennifer Garner]

Why were you on 85th and.

[Sean Hayes]

No, I was. I lived at. I lived at 87th and West End with five other people. That was like 90, 91. And then by 92, I was living on the Upper east side and in a railroad apartment with two other dudes.

[Jason Bateman]

When are we falling, Jen? I'm on 81st and Broadway right now.

[Jennifer Garner]

Oh, no way.

[Will Arnett]

No way.

[Jason Bateman]

Who cares?

[Sean Hayes]

Wait, so that's a nice apartment.

[Jennifer Garner]

Is that your apartment?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it's brand new.

[Sean Hayes]

And all he does is watch TV in there. Yeah. So. So you do this now. You're living there. You're living in New York, and you. And you're doing some. You're doing Law and Order, you're doing Spin City, kind of. Go. Go back and watch your Spin City episode.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, you do. I'm shocked that you haven't.

[Sean Hayes]

I know, I know. And then. And then. Where does Alias fall into all of this? Like. Well, sorry, you meet J.J. abrams because you do Felicity.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yes. So a few years go by, and I had been working probably seven years by the time I met JJ and did Felicity and Alias.

[Will Arnett]

And how'd you meet jj?

[Jennifer Garner]

I just auditioned for Felicity for a guest spot.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, gotcha.

[Jason Bateman]

Wow. And then he's like.

[Sean Hayes]

He remembered you, but I had heard, and JJ's a friend of the show, so he's listening. I had heard that you. That he wrote Alias with you in mind.

[Jennifer Garner]

He did. I know. Isn't that cool? He gave it to me, and I stood in one spot in my kitchen and read the pilot. I didn't even move. I was so. It was still. I think it's the best pilot.

[Will Arnett]

I think that's awesome.

[Jennifer Garner]

He's such an incredible director, too.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it turns out it's such a great.

[Sean Hayes]

It is a great pilot, and it was a great show, and you were great on it.

[Will Arnett]

And what about just his general energy? I mean, it's pretty infectious. It's so positive.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

He gives you his full attention. He's super sincere. I just. There's not a lot like that.

[Jason Bateman]

And is that where you met our lovely Victor Garber? That we have in common?

[Jennifer Garner]

Yes, that is where I met our lovely Victor Garber. Although I'd been a big fan of his. I'd seen him in art. I'd seen him in everything. The one with Billy Crudup that started with an A at Lincoln center at. You know the one I'm talking about.

[Sean Hayes]

Arcadia.

[Jennifer Garner]

Arcadia.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you.

[Jason Bateman]

Whenever we have dinner, whenever Victor and I go out to dinner, he's a very close friend of both yours and mine. And he was at your premiere party.

[Will Arnett]

Or your opening night party.

[Jason Bateman]

Yes, he was at the premiere. Opening night. And any time we go out to dinner, I'll always say super, super loud. Oh, my God. Were you in Titanic? And everybody looks and he's your mother, you fucking asshole.

[Will Arnett]

Everyone's looking for Leonardo DiCaprio.

[Sean Hayes]

Did you guys see him in Godspell? Yes, with Martin Short. And every other Canadian actor.

[Jennifer Garner]

Every Canadian actor. And they're all still super close. That entire cast. They really. It's like 40 years later.

[Sean Hayes]

I love that.

[Will Arnett]

Wait, am I showing my dumbness by wondering, why would they all be Canadians?

[Jennifer Garner]

It all really started. So Godspell was this thing on Broadway. It was a huge sensation.

[Sean Hayes]

Wait, wait, Jen, Jen, before. I hate to interrupt you, but I have to. Jason, we've had at least five members of that production on the podcast who have talked about the fact that they were all in that production.

[Will Arnett]

No recollection at all. I just thought maybe Godspell was written by a Canadian. It's a Canadian story. And. No.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah. Jesus. Jesus, it turns out, was a Canadian. Everyone knew it.

[Will Arnett]

So. Wait, Jesus is in Godspell?

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, my God.

[Will Arnett]

God spells not one word. Or is it two words?

[Jason Bateman]

How do you spell.

[Sean Hayes]

How do you spell God?

[Jason Bateman]

So G, A, W, D. Oh, my God. Victor.

[Sean Hayes]

And, you know, I used to see Victor, too, back in the Alias days, through Bradley, all the time.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. And we would have dinner out on the west side with that little me and the rest of the cast of Alias all the time. Because Bradley was on Alias, I felt like a sort of an eighth member of the cast. If you will.

[Jennifer Garner]

You were.

[Sean Hayes]

No, you won't. You won't. No, you won't. So Alias comes about, and then I remember the time when Alias came out, and it was so good and it was so kick ass and there was so much written about. First of all, you just. You were the lead of this show, and you were a kick ass lead, too.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Like, you just kind of. It's like you were shot out of a cannon and you were beating fools up and knocking people out and karate chopping heads and doing shit and, like, all this spy stuff. And I remember the stories about your training regimen and how insane it was at the time. I still think about it to this day. Sometimes I'M going to admit to you something. I think about it sometimes when I think about getting up and working out before work, and I'll think about you. The stories of you are embedded in my mind. And I don't know you working out before doing Alias. I swear to God, that is really good.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait, you would work out before shooting 12 hours a day?

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, I would. Because Carl Lumley, who was on the show, I started saying, like, it's so hard for me to keep a workout. Our hours were so insane. And I said, and I need to be warmed up. And I just can't seem to get it all done. And he is such a stately, gorgeous man and a theater actor and somebody I just respect so much. And at the time, like, I had all these. I had run, I had Victor, and I had Carl all on the show. So I was looking up to them so much for anything. And Carl said, you can always do half an hour. You just set your clock. Just get up and do it. You can always do it. And so from that day, I was just like, oh, okay, then I will. And so just no matter what, I would crank my clock earlier. 3:45, you know, I would do anything to show up to work warmed up because there was so much action. And I never. I didn't know what. When things were gonna happen. And I just. I wanted to be ready for whatever. Now, I don't do that now, like a six and an occasional five, but I don't, you know, not really.

[Will Arnett]

But isn't it depressing how much harder it is to stay in shape as we get older? I mean, it's almost like it doubles the amount of time you have to spend at it almost every day.

[Jennifer Garner]

I remember you solidly running six or seven miles every day.

[Will Arnett]

It never helped. Never helped. It's still running like I'm being chased.

[Jennifer Garner]

I also remember you spinning upside down in a car and just losing.

[Jason Bateman]

And then you.

[Will Arnett]

I remember you. Who were you pregnant with when you threw up? Was it Violet?

[Jennifer Garner]

No, I was. I was nursing. That was the issue. It was so hot where we were shooting the Kingdom. Like, we were in Arizona, and it was August and September and120 on asphalt. And we were wearing big boots and hats and bulletproof vests. And we. I went. That's the only time, knock on wood, I've ever had to go to the hospital during shooting. I would get so dizzy I couldn't see. And I was nursing. I should have, you know, no way.

[Jason Bateman]

But I see. But I. But on your Instagram, I See, like, you working out all the time. It's so inspiring. Like, first of all, what. You're a mom. You work constantly. You work out. You're doing all these things. I see you do so many things. Like, is there. I ask this question a lot because I find it fascinating. Is there a thing or a person that inspired you to be ambitious and to have this drive? Like, where does that come from to just do all of these things?

[Jennifer Garner]

I don't know. But don't you feel like you get older and you look around and there are people you admire and just like that moment with Carl, like, something just, like, makes you realize, oh, I can do that. I can reach for. I can go harder, I can reach for that. I can be more.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, why not you, Jen?

[Sean Hayes]

You're my Carl. That's what I'm trying to tell you.

[Jennifer Garner]

Oh, good. I'm so glad. I'll see you at. Let's set the alarm. Let's FaceTime. You could do that.

[Jason Bateman]

But when you were younger, was there, like a family member or a person where you just, like, something clicked in your head and you're like, wait a minute. I like how they live their life. I like how they kind of make the decisions they've made.

[Jennifer Garner]

I mean, I don't know. I have pretty great parents. Like, they just. Yeah, I'm pretty great. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Do you find that your children are as motivated as you were at that age?

[Jennifer Garner]

They are each of them in their own ways. The hard thing is that you think it's going to be your ways. And. And their ways are things I could never do and are. They're amazing, but they are not. They keep forgetting to be me.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Yeah. Do you? Well, they. Cause it is fun watching. Do you find. Well, Sean, do you find your dad?

[Will Arnett]

Oh.

[Jason Bateman]

Period.

[Sean Hayes]

Sorry, that was just it.

[Jason Bateman]

Just that one question.

[Sean Hayes]

Sorry, sorry. No, but it is funny watching our kids and this kind of goes out to everybody, like, watching our kids have. Go about it a different way than we went about it. And I constantly find myself wanting to say, like, hey, man, maybe if you. And then I just go, no, no, no, no, it's okay. He's going to do it his own way. I'm just here to kind of act as bumpers on either side to keep them within a certain range.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, that's interesting, though, because my. Because of the way we were raised and my dad left early. That old story. Because of that, my two brothers who have kids are phenomenal dads.

[Jennifer Garner]

Wow.

[Jason Bateman]

They're amazing.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Jennifer Garner]

I mean, it doesn't Always go that way, though.

[Jason Bateman]

That's right. But, I mean, that was the inspiration to be a great dad.

[Sean Hayes]

Can I tell you something that happened the other night that I found really nice? I was with Jason and Amanda and Maple, who's 11 now. Mape, right?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

And we were just talking about something, and Mape was so honest and comfortable in this way and whatever. We all spend a lot of time.

[Will Arnett]

So when she told you to shut.

[Sean Hayes]

Your mouth, when she said, shut your. Shut your stupid mouth, your stupid Canadian mouth, she said you were saying something dumb. And I've been trying to keep from her that I'm Canadian for a long time. No, but she said we started talking about something and she was really candid with you guys and with us in this way that felt that I really. I kind of loved. It was such a reflection of you and Amanda. And I love seeing that in kids when they feel this level of comfort to share and be able to speak openly. I think that's so important. That's really rare, and it was really heartwarming.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. Well, that's. Yeah, that's it. Thank you for saying that. I'm always surprised at how little children really take from the parents. This whole question of nature versus nurture. And I think I've hammered this one before. But, you know, for that, whenever somebody says something nice about my kids, it's my instinct to deflect anyway. But I do think it is them. It is nature. It's not nurture. I think you can affect your kid probably 5%, left or right, you know, but for the most part, you get what you get because, like, you know, Jen, I'm sure you've got. You've got. You've got three to compare against. I've only got two where they're same parents, same roof, same upbringing, and they're wildly different. So there it is. Wow. You know, so it's not natural.

[Jennifer Garner]

And from the minute they were born, too, like, their personalities were already intact.

[Jason Bateman]

That's why I don't have kids. I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night and have them killing me.

[Will Arnett]

Right. Yeah, exactly. You could have an ax murderer, and you'd have nothing to do with it.

[Jason Bateman]

You know what I mean?

[Sean Hayes]

It's like Sean recognizes that if he had other, that they would want to kill him. And I think that that is a great.

[Jason Bateman]

It's probably true.

[Will Arnett]

And we will be right back.

[Jason Bateman]

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[Sean Hayes]

And.

[Jason Bateman]

Now back to the show.

[Sean Hayes]

Now that we're on this, what do you find it has. What do you find challenging as a parent? And I know the list is long because I have three kids as well, but doing what you do. And again, our jobs are. No, lots of people have very busy jobs. No matter what it is you do, if you work in an office or you work outside or whatever it is you do. But what are the challenges that you find?

[Jennifer Garner]

Our job is just a selfish job. Honestly, you know, it's really, it's not even in the best of circumstances. We're really like, well, it's all about me right now. I'm in production and I've gotta go to bed or I've gotta. I can't be there because my production, this my, you know, and it's like, that's not the way. And the travel and that's not the way kids lives work. If something is happening for them, it's happening for them and you're missing it. And that's, that's basically it. So there's so much, I mean, there's so much challenging like teenagers and what they all have to absorb and go through and you know, like when I go to my kids schools and I'm there, I have three kids at three schools. And when I go and I see the energy swirling around and the kids chattering and arguing and back and forth and what's important and like struggling for hierarchy, I just think, oh my gosh, it's so exhausting. I forget what they've been through by the time they come home every day.

[Will Arnett]

Right.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, right.

[Sean Hayes]

What do you do about the. What do you do about the social media stuff? This goes out again to everybody but Jen, what do you do about, about the social media stuff with your kids? Cause I find it challenging.

[Jennifer Garner]

Well, so far. And I say. Cause it feels like there's judgment inherent in what I'm saying and there isn't. It's just so far I have not. I don't have kids on social media, like traditional Instagram, TikTok, all that stuff, I don't know, totally everything they're on. So I could be totally wrong.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, there's some workarounds there.

[Jennifer Garner]

There are plenty of workarounds, but they're not checking for like, and they're not posting themselves. And I think, you know, your rules are very different for your first than they are for your third. So don't hold me to it. But that is kind of my goal. I just say to them, guys, show me the evidence that it's good for a teenage brain. Just show it to me and Then, you know, some people say, well, my kids really. That's how they converse. They converse over Snapchat or whatever. So far I've been able to avoid it. And, you know, we'll just keep down that, you know, and Ben and I are on the same page about it. We'll just keep down that road as best we can.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah, we're trying for the same thing or sort of a limited version of it all.

[Jason Bateman]

I want to go back to for a second because, you know, one of my stock questions, the theater. I need like a terrible theater story that you have like a favorite horrible something that went wrong or a horrible like set that something happened on a set. Mostly theater stories.

[Will Arnett]

He's just looking at checkboxes or any.

[Sean Hayes]

Kind of personal tragedy.

[Will Arnett]

Any sort of person, big regret, something embarrassing.

[Jason Bateman]

No, I like, I think theater stories are theater stories that go wrong or.

[Sean Hayes]

Hysterical unearth trauma would be.

[Will Arnett]

They're super relatable.

[Jennifer Garner]

So I mean, I. I run when I like I basically my instinct, like I just have a lot of. And so I'd run onto stage or I run, you know, like, I just do. So I was doing Cyrano at the Richard Rogers with Mr. Klein, Kevin Kline. It was heaven. It was wonderful. But I got into a spell where I fell at some point every night. And there was this. The back, the upstage was this huge staircase that was like two stories straight down, fully exposed. And I would come like, like really fast. Was so fun. So I'd go, do, do, do. And the last 10 steps, go, go, go, go on the elbow. Or I would fall in the fifth act or I'd fall at the curtain call. I just. Once you. Once I started, I couldn't get my feet back under me. And people would say to me, hey, I saw you in Sierra know. Oh, man, you were amazing. You know, I was there the night you fell.

[Jason Bateman]

It was every night to be like.

[Will Arnett]

Did you start padding up?

[Jennifer Garner]

I mean, I stood out, you know, when. Like when stunt doubles take a stair fall and they're like, well, I put a powder puff under my wig.

[Will Arnett]

Now did you. Did you end up coming up with a funny line at the bottom of your tuck and roll every night?

[Jennifer Garner]

No, because it's. It was so. It was so serious. You can't, you know, you just have to serious.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh my God. I want to know about Jen. I love you mentioned Kevin Klein. He's one of those guys that I've always admired and think is so great. What was that like? I've. I've never come Close to the guy. And I'm just.

[Will Arnett]

I don't think any of us have. Have you guys ever seen him out?

[Sean Hayes]

Never. Not once. And I lived in New York for 20 years. I never saw him.

[Jennifer Garner]

He lives way up on the Upper east side. He's still. He's married to Phoebe, Kate.

[Will Arnett]

I've never seen them out.

[Jennifer Garner]

They are. They're like king and queen of their neighborhood. He has a big show on Apple coming out, I think that they shot in London. Anyway, he is the most literate. He's one of those people that is just always taking in art. He's always reading. There's always a play in his back pocket or something. There's just. He's always taking in poetry and using it as a reference, and it makes you kind of panic.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, you gotta get him around the show.

[Sean Hayes]

Of course he is.

[Jason Bateman]

No, wait.

[Sean Hayes]

He's my idol. So.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait, Jen. And with everything that you've done, everything that you've accomplished, is there something. Is there a role or a thing or something? You're like, you know what I've always wanted? Blank. I've never gotten that. I still want it.

[Jennifer Garner]

This was kind of it, guys. You know, I'm a friend of pod. This was kind of it. I'm a listener. Oh, guys, when you had that Simon. Simon.

[Sean Hayes]

Lebanon Labon from Dread Dread.

[Jennifer Garner]

That was cool.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, he's very cool. He's very cool.

[Jason Bateman]

It's like that Chris Farley Saturday Night Live talk show when you guys had. That was cool.

[Jennifer Garner]

No, you know what? When my kids go to college, I keep. You know. I feel like it's healthy to have something you're looking forward to besides just panicking.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Jennifer Garner]

So I think I want to go to New York and try to be. You know. There's always, like, a little old lady in a musical.

[Will Arnett]

That's my dream. When the girls go off to college, it's time to go to New York and try theater.

[Jason Bateman]

Do it. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. Right.

[Jennifer Garner]

I'll see you there. What do you want to do? I'll do. I'll. Let's do it together.

[Will Arnett]

We'll just do. We'll start with Love Letters.

[Jennifer Garner]

Great.

[Will Arnett]

Right. Sean?

[Jason Bateman]

Is that. Why don't you reimagine the Odd Couple as just a girl and a guy instead of two guys?

[Sean Hayes]

I'm not Rappaport.

[Jennifer Garner]

I am not Rappaport.

[Sean Hayes]

No.

[Jennifer Garner]

We could call Pete Burke. He could direct us.

[Will Arnett]

Direct us and the Odd Couple. Could you imagine? It becomes War of the Roses. We blow up the whole stage. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

So when did you do the App. Sorry to switch. When did you do the Apple tv? Your limited series that you produced, too?

[Jennifer Garner]

A year ago right now. I was in production. The last thing he told me.

[Sean Hayes]

Last thing he told me.

[Jennifer Garner]

The last thing he told me. Out now on Apple tv. Plus it's out now. Yes, it is out right now. We shot it a year ago here in LA with Sometime in Austin and Sometime in Sausalito.

[Will Arnett]

How'd you like Austin?

[Jennifer Garner]

I love Austin. Austin's just. What a beautiful city. It's so cool. And then you have the. Everyone's drawn to the lake and it's so nice.

[Sean Hayes]

I. Sorry, I just gotta say, just because I keep Austin weird anyway.

[Will Arnett]

Getting paid by the Chamber of Commerce there.

[Sean Hayes]

People used to have those bumper stickers. I mean, I'm really dating myself as an old Gen Ed.

[Jason Bateman]

It was poor.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, they still. The bumper stickers are still a thing. Yeah. But good call back. Great job.

[Sean Hayes]

So old. I'm such an old. All my musicals. I'm just, like, realizing I'm old.

[Will Arnett]

Jen, do any of the kids want to. Want to go into this business? Have you got a sense of it?

[Jennifer Garner]

I. I think we may have one, but I don't know if that child knows it yet, so I'm not gonna.

[Will Arnett]

And how do you feel about that? Will you be encouraging if and when the light shines on him or her?

[Jennifer Garner]

What about you, Jason? What are you gonna do?

[Will Arnett]

I know. I feel like Franny. Franny's starting to get interested in directing, which is really exciting to me.

[Jennifer Garner]

That's really cool.

[Will Arnett]

So we're, like, watching movies together and talking about all that stuff. It's kind of like how my dad and I were.

[Jason Bateman]

I know. Just like about a year ago. Right.

[Will Arnett]

Or YouTube. Franny's like, Maple, I think is interested maybe in acting, but neither one is, like, you know, frothing at the mouth, super passionate about it. I'm not a big fan of kids going into this business only because you could spend all that time studying for a career where if you're the best at it, you're guaranteed employment, you know? And this. This is not that or any. Any form of the arts, pardon the term, you know, it's also objective, you know, and so, I don't know. It's. It's tough. It's. It's a tough business to make a business.

[Jennifer Garner]

You can't. Certainly can't say no if they become adults. And that's, you know, Correct.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. I'll be encouraging if they're overwhelmed with.

[Jennifer Garner]

With desire for it, but kids acting Little kids on set. I don't know.

[Will Arnett]

Well, that's the other weird part for me, too. It was sort of heady, where you're trying to train yourself to be other people at a time when you're learning who you are. And it's kind of profound, which kind of messed me up a little bit.

[Jason Bateman]

I never thought of that.

[Will Arnett]

It should be done a little bit later, I think.

[Jennifer Garner]

Do you feel like sometimes, are you like, am I a werewolf?

[Sean Hayes]

Am I a werewolf also?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. Well, listen, when I don't shave. When I don't shave every other day, it start. Or let my nails grow. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Just scrape the play.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, no, it is a little schizophrenic, definitely, but thanks for bringing it down.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Let's just take a break. She also told so that we're going down the Tig Notaro highlight reel. She just told this great story. The other day, she went to a party, a bunch of people she didn't know. And she came out on the second story balcony and she just screamed down downstairs to a bunch of partygoers that she didn't know. They didn't know her. She just said, hey, guys. Sorry, excuse me.

[Jason Bateman]

Hi.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, up here. I just want you guys to know I'm going to bed in, like, 10 minutes, okay? And they just went back into the.

[Sean Hayes]

Upstairs balcony, and everybody's, like, looking at each other. She and her friend. Well, she and her friend. Who was she talking about? She and her friend were doing what they call party bit. And she agreed to go to this party into this house of somebody she didn't know. And she would walk into the kitchen and just kind of, like, slap the wall and go like, hey, guys, there are, like, six people. And, hey, guys, I'm probably gonna turn in in about 10 minutes.

[Jason Bateman]

And they're all like.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay. By the way. Such a fucking God, Sean. How fun is that?

[Will Arnett]

That's such a good bit.

[Sean Hayes]

That's a good.

[Jennifer Garner]

What are the other bits? I wanna know where it is.

[Sean Hayes]

I wanna do the thing where I wanna drive around all the fancy neighborhoods and Los Angeles, like Beverly Hills and Bel Air, and then, like, drive up to, like, crews who are, like, gardening and stuff and go, hey, guys, you can knock off for the day.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

And then drive and then just be.

[Will Arnett]

Like, yeah, don't worry about. Don't worry about the front, guys.

[Sean Hayes]

Don't worry about it. I talked to the guy. You guys are good to go and start wrapping crews who are doing work.

[Will Arnett]

As you live there.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, as if I live there.

[Jennifer Garner]

That's a good party bed.

[Will Arnett]

Not bad. Jen, what's the rest of your day today? You're not. You're not working on something, are you?

[Jennifer Garner]

No, I'm not working on anything, no. What is my day? I'm gonna.

[Sean Hayes]

You worked out at 3am Yeah, I.

[Jennifer Garner]

Worked out this morning and actually I actually have a boxing session after this.

[Jason Bateman]

You work out all the time?

[Jennifer Garner]

I box at Pete's gym.

[Will Arnett]

Do you really? Is he still going in there? This is Pete Berg. He still goes in there.

[Jason Bateman]

Who's Pete Berg?

[Will Arnett]

Peter Berg is an actor. Director, Director, editor.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, Peter Berg.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

I was like.

[Will Arnett]

And has been ripped to shreds for years. His guy's always in incredible shape.

[Jennifer Garner]

You can really box.

[Will Arnett]

You can, right?

[Sean Hayes]

I don't care.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, he can really box.

[Sean Hayes]

I boxed this morning and then my 14 year old has just started boxing at a gym.

[Jason Bateman]

I'd rather play Rock Em Sock Em.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, remember that?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Sean, what time are you working out today? And be honest. Oh God, look around, look around weeks, look around.

[Jennifer Garner]

So wait, today's Tuesday. You have a show tonight?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, no, off Mondays and Tuesdays.

[Jennifer Garner]

So do you have two on Saturday, two on Sunday? Are you doing seven?

[Jason Bateman]

We're doing seven, yeah.

[Jennifer Garner]

Gosh, that's nice.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it's really, really nice.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Well, what's normal?

[Jason Bateman]

Eight, eight, eight.

[Will Arnett]

And where's the eighth show on a Tuesday night? Tuesday.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it would normally be tonight. Tuesday.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

But we don't. Yeah, that's really nice. It's really nice actually. Feels like you have a weekend.

[Sean Hayes]

Jen, what are you and Jason, what are you and Jason when you and Jason do your show on Broadway, when you guys moved to New York, let Jason get into the deal because you guys will be on four shows a week.

[Jennifer Garner]

Oh, I know. We're going to do only matinees.

[Jason Bateman]

That's it. I don't know if this is true, but I heard Dolly Parton, somebody came up to Dolly Parton, asked her if she wanted to do some big musical, I can't remember the name of it. And she said, sure, I'll do four shows a week. They're like, no. Wouldn't you say yes to Dolly Parton.

[Jennifer Garner]

Doing yes, Dolly Parton who wouldn't buy.

[Jason Bateman]

A ticket even if it's four shows a week?

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, I would buy a ticket for the show I don't go to just to have the ticket to go to Dolly.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Jennifer Garner]

Did you ever go to Dollywood?

[Will Arnett]

Is that West Virginia?

[Jennifer Garner]

No, it's in Tennessee. It's in Tennessee. It is. So it's so great. All the rocks have dolly music playing. Dolly's music everywhere you go.

[Will Arnett]

Rocks with speakers.

[Jennifer Garner]

Those rocks have speakers. It was the first time I'd ever seen that. And I was like, the rocks are singing Dolly Parton. And I took my grandmother XY Mae, and I hoisted her up over a like a merry go round horse. And I just, I can't believe I did it. Now thinking back, like, I'm so glad I didn't break that little lady, but XY Mae was in heaven.

[Will Arnett]

All right, so after boxing today, where there's then I would imagine you're gonna pick up at least one of those kids.

[Jennifer Garner]

Well, yeah, I've got to pick up some kids. I have this little company called Once Upon a Farm.

[Sean Hayes]

Yes, yes. Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

So tell us what that tell people.

[Will Arnett]

Tell me about that. I don't know about that.

[Jennifer Garner]

Oh, actually it's awesome. It is this all super clean, super organic kids and babies food. And it is pureed and it's cold pressed. So it's not like garbage. Yeah, it's not garbage. There's no sugar added. There's nothing added. It's just pure.

[Jason Bateman]

I would eat all of that, but I would put the sugar in it.

[Will Arnett]

Sure you would.

[Jennifer Garner]

You actually, you don't need it because it's all fresh and it's not cooked down. So it helps.

[Will Arnett]

You love Sweet and Low, though. He just has Sweet and Low on everything.

[Jennifer Garner]

You could add a little Sweet and Low if you want.

[Sean Hayes]

You put it in a blender. Sean, Sean put it in a blender and then he'd add some Reese's peanut butter cup. What is it?

[Jason Bateman]

This is Sweet and Low, right?

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, there's Sweet Low. Oh, hi Sweet Scotty.

[Jennifer Garner]

Hey, Scotty. Good to see you.

[Will Arnett]

Sweet and Low, that's a great nickname for you.

[Sean Hayes]

All right, so you're gonna go, you're gonna go and work on.

[Jennifer Garner]

So I have that, I have that stuff today. I have calls and stuff like that.

[Will Arnett]

All right, but wait, let's get. I want trying to get to the evening time and I want to know, I like asking this, what do you curl up and watch that you're a little bit embarra that you're watching?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, well, not because it's a bad.

[Jennifer Garner]

Show but just because I mean I still watch Seinfeld pretty much all the time. But that's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's just that I've seen them all a thousand But I'm watching Diplomat. Oh, Terry Russell.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, I heard that's really good.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah, that's on. What's that on the Amazon?

[Sean Hayes]

Netflix.

[Jennifer Garner]

It's on the Netflix.

[Will Arnett]

On the Netflix. Very nice.

[Jennifer Garner]

The kids and I are about to start Jury Duty. We just need to get someone in the house passed AP exams and then we're gonna.

[Will Arnett]

I hear that's good. That's got.

[Jason Bateman]

Jury Duty's a show.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, it's James Marsden. James Marsden.

[Will Arnett]

James Marsden. That's right. He's the only one who knows what's going on.

[Jennifer Garner]

No, they all know. He's just playing himself as like a. He's playing a bratty actor. He was prepping for it. We shot Party down together at the beginning of last year and he was getting ready for it and he was like, what am I going into? This is going to be a disaster. And is it ethically okay to be messing with this person? And there's one person who thinks he's just part of a documentary and has no idea that anyone.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, that sounds really cool.

[Will Arnett]

They just think they're on jury duty.

[Sean Hayes]

He thinks that they're making a documentary about this particular trial and he's the only person and everything else is made up.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, wow.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, it's pretty cool.

[Will Arnett]

There's so much to watch and that's good for kids. Kids and adults.

[Jennifer Garner]

I mean, I don't know that it's appropriate for kids, but I feel like my kids have probably been exposed to plenty.

[Will Arnett]

Even Sam's watching the R rated movies now. My 11 year old is at times.

[Jennifer Garner]

Yeah, I think. I think from time to time.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, it squeaks through there. But you know what now do you curse in front of the kids? I find that I'm starting to get very, very loose.

[Jennifer Garner]

Very loosey goosey. Yeah, I don't.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, because on purpose or you just don't curse.

[Sean Hayes]

Do you curse a lot? You don't seem like you do.

[Jennifer Garner]

I learned to curse. I didn't used to, but I can and I do. I mean, maybe occasionally something slips out, but I really don't want them to curse in front of me. Cause I feel like you need to know that there are grownups you talk a certain way around or that you behave a certain way around and it might as well be me. So.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

I really love that you're a good mom.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Jennifer Garner]

I don't know.

[Jason Bateman]

Really good mom.

[Sean Hayes]

You know what you're doing and you also have a busy day and we've taken up too much of you time.

[Will Arnett]

Way too much time.

[Sean Hayes]

You have so many things to go do. More important than talking to us.

[Will Arnett]

But what an absolute we started our day with a nice big shot of sunshine.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

You know, thank you, Jen.

[Jennifer Garner]

At least I didn't show you my bad hair.

[Will Arnett]

I don't believe that it's any. How could it be bad? It's long.

[Sean Hayes]

Let's take a look.

[Jason Bateman]

I don't know.

[Jennifer Garner]

We're. We're going to.

[Jason Bateman]

Is that a scrunchie on your.

[Sean Hayes]

Do you have a scrunchie on. On your wrist?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, you got to be ready.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, I like to do a scrunchie. I'm always doing scrunchie bits.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, yeah. Look at watching. Do a scrunchie bit. And he just.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, and then he's ready to go.

[Sean Hayes]

And I'm ready to go.

[Jennifer Garner]

Thank you for that.

[Will Arnett]

And then stretch out the ponytail. You stretch it out?

[Sean Hayes]

No, I always take. Yeah, you do this. I'm always doing this with it. You know, like you're doing this and then. Hey, guys, did anybody see where I parked.

[Jason Bateman]

Where my hair. Where I left my hair spray?

[Will Arnett]

I love. Sean will pick up somebody's purse at a party and just throw it over your shoulder and go, guys, anybody need anything from cvs?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, I'm just running to cvs. And which way is out? Is it that way? How do I get out of here?

[Sean Hayes]

Also, anytime there's a candle anywhere on a table, whatever, Sean always grabs the candle and then he Shield the wind.

[Will Arnett]

From the front of it.

[Sean Hayes]

Shields the wind, and I go, guys.

[Jason Bateman]

Which way is the best?

[Sean Hayes]

The dumbest bit? Stick, candle, same bit. We've now truly wasted your time.

[Jennifer Garner]

I've learned so much. Much. Thank you, guys.

[Will Arnett]

Sorry, Jen.

[Jason Bateman]

Thank you, Jennifer Garner. We love you.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you, Jennifer Garner, all of you.

[Will Arnett]

Nice to adore you.

[Sean Hayes]

Last thing he told me on Apple plus with Jennifer Garner. Go and watch it immediately.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Do the right thing.

[Sean Hayes]

Do the right thing.

[Jennifer Garner]

Bye.

[Will Arnett]

Bye, guys. How'd you feel? I feel like I got a. I got a. I got a personality shower.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, I feel better.

[Will Arnett]

I'm all clean.

[Jason Bateman]

Speaking to a flower who is just.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Easy, breezy, lovely, you know, gorgeous, fun, funny, talented.

[Will Arnett]

Brighten the day.

[Sean Hayes]

She made me feel better. Yeah, she made the day better.

[Jason Bateman]

You know, I IMDb'd her page while we're talking. It's unbelievable. Like, she has 8,000 credits.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. She's been at it for quite some time.

[Jason Bateman]

Like, remember 13 going on 30, which we didn't even ask her about.

[Sean Hayes]

Yes, 13 going on 30. That was the movie I was thinking about. She did with Ruffalo, right?

[Jason Bateman]

I think so, yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Is that right?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. What about dresses. Wasn't there a bunch of dresses? Did she do that one? 19 dresses? 21 dresses.

[Jason Bateman]

I don't know.

[Will Arnett]

17, 25 dresses.

[Sean Hayes]

No, that was.

[Jason Bateman]

Remember, she was in Dallas Buyers Club with.

[Sean Hayes]

Dallas Buyers Club.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, my God.

[Sean Hayes]

She was 13 going on 30. I'm pretty sure it was. Yes.

[Will Arnett]

A Ruffalo listener doesn't want to hear us going down there. Her w. I am.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, I just looked it up. I was like, oh, my God, she's.

[Sean Hayes]

Done so much, and she's always so. So I always feel like she's one of those people. You're. Whatever she's in, whether it's in a movie or on TV or at something or even on a commercial, you're always like, boy, I'm delighted to see Jen Carter.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Will Arnett]

You know what I mean?

[Jason Bateman]

One of America's sweethearts. Absolutely.

[Will Arnett]

Even if she's asking me what's in my wallet, she's brightening up my commercial break.

[Sean Hayes]

It's true. Yeah. She does a bunch of those things, and it's so delightful in. That's almost.

[Jason Bateman]

I don't mean she's got that thing that it. Thing that everybody talks about where, like.

[Sean Hayes]

You look at her, you're, like, sound condescending. No, no, no, no, no. I. Yeah, you wanted, like, I want to talk to Jennifer Garner. I feel like my day would feel better.

[Jason Bateman]

Guess what we just did.

[Sean Hayes]

Sure enough.

[Will Arnett]

But conversely, you know, it would be awesome is to see her in some gnarly, dramatic part where she's just ripping somebody apart. You son of a. You just. Just unleashing. Wonder if she's. I bet she's got that man.

[Sean Hayes]

Why?

[Will Arnett]

Well, it's just to see. You like, to see an actor go from, you know, 0 to 100.

[Jason Bateman]

Right?

[Will Arnett]

I don't know sometimes.

[Jason Bateman]

Absolutely.

[Sean Hayes]

I don't know if everybody needs to do everything to do the thing, like, be good at the thing you're good at.

[Will Arnett]

Well, put it this way. Can you. Can you imagine her in a bad mood? No. Right. So wouldn't it be fun in a character in a part to see her just, like.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

It'd be, like, so, like, shocking. Yeah, yeah. For sure.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Like me, like. Like, if you were to see me in a part just being super nice and genuine to somebody, I wouldn't believe when.

[Sean Hayes]

I wouldn't believe it for a second.

[Will Arnett]

But if I was doing a good.

[Sean Hayes]

Job, it would be nice to give you an Oscar. If you did that, you'd immediately. You'd get a lifetime achievement award for that.

[Will Arnett]

That's her that's true.

[Jason Bateman]

Believe it. Yeah, I was. I would say like when she. When I see.

[Will Arnett]

There, there he comes.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh boy, here he comes.

[Will Arnett]

Sean, it's coming from a mile away.

[Sean Hayes]

Cuz you know why? Cuz it always starts.

[Will Arnett]

Sends up a. Here comes the buy.

[Sean Hayes]

Cuz if I, if, if I can I.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, I never. What? Whenever I never.

[Sean Hayes]

Scotty and I.

[Jason Bateman]

I know. Wait a minute. Why don't we just. Why don't we just go back.

[Sean Hayes]

Start again.

[Jason Bateman]

Why don't we just go back to saying goodbye? Why don't we just say hey, what a great show. I'll see you guys later.

[Will Arnett]

Never happens.

[Jason Bateman]

Bye. Why don't we do that?

[Sean Hayes]

So.

[Jason Bateman]

When I see Jennifer coming towards me, I always want to say hi. I never want to say oh, bye.

[Will Arnett]

Bye. Smart less.

[Sean Hayes]

Smart less. Smartless is 100% organic and artisanally handcrafted by Rob Armjar, Bennett Barbico and Michael Grantieri. Smart Less.

[Jason Bateman]

Our show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Ever hear people say that something is like therapy for them? Playing tennis is therapy for me. Listening to music is my therapy. Cooking is like therapy. Well, you know what's therapy for me? You guessed it. Therapy. Because when it comes to sorting out issues, figuring stuff out and just, just making you feel better about yourself, you can't beat the real thing. Better Help Online therapy is the easiest way for you to try out therapy for yourself. BetterHelp is convenient, flexible and built around your schedule. Start by filling out a simple questionnaire to be matched with a licensed therapist who fits your needs and preferences. Connect with them via phone, video, text or chat. Whatever works for you at a time and place that works for you. It's surprisingly affordable too. So if you ever struggle with depression, relationship problems, problems, social anxiety or family conflicts, give BetterHelp a try. It's not a substitute for therapy. It is therapy. I talk about it all the time. I've benefited from therapy myself, as you all know. I've been in New York for almost three months now. Three months is a long time to be away from home and Ricky and all my familiar surroundings and stuff like that. So I talked about it in therapy last week. Not that that earth shattering end of the world, but it just helped to talk it through and that's what therapy does for me. You can visit betterhelp. Com Smartless today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H E L P.com Smartless.