Jennifer Garner says she has 'nice kind' of fame: 'It's hard not to like it'
Jennifer Garner somehow found a "nice kind" of fame.
Garner, 52, and her mom Pat Garner spoke about the attention they have received since debuting their "Pretend Cooking Show" on Instagram.
"Well, people are so nice to me, and they're so nice to my mom," Garner explained during an appearance on the "Today" show. "And I think whatever kind of brand – or not brand – whatever kind of fame I have is the nice kind. People just come up to me and want to say hi, and it's as if they know me. They're friendly and lovely to me pretty much always."
"It's hard not to like it if you like people," she added after noting that her mom has had the same experience with fame since their show went viral.
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Garner and her mom opened up about the "13 Going on 30" star's childhood, revealing Pat wasn't really a "disciplinarian."
"I tried to be the disciplinarian because the parents that I admired were disciplinarians, but I'm not really," Pat said.
"We all kind of just fell in line," Garner explained. "I don't know what Mom and Dad did. We respected them so much. And we were a little, a little bit scared of Dad. I can't say we were scared of you, Mom."
"No, I don't think you were," Pat responded. "Bill was very proud that the boyfriends were all a little bit afraid of him."
Garner grew up in Charleston, West Virginia, with her siblings Melissa Garner and Susannah Garner. After graduating from high school, Garner attended Denison University, where she studied theater. Eventually, the actress moved to New York City and began her acting career at Roundabout Theatre Company.
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Garner's mother admitted they mostly sat back while the "Juno" star made her own decisions about the future, including changing her major from chemistry to theater.
"We supported our children whatever they wanted to do, and we never fussed at Jennifer or anything, but Bill told the people he worked with, 'Well, now I'll have to support her all of her life,'" Pat said.
"You told me to switch my major," Garner protested. "You said, 'Just study what you love. You'll figure it out if you want to go back to school later, but you're spending all your time in the theater. Just study that.'"
"I probably did," her mother acknowledged.
Garner catapulted to fame while portraying Sydney Bristow in "Alias." The actress received four Emmy nominations for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for the role. She was also nominated for four Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards, winning one of each for "Alias."
Garner went on to star in hit films such as "Elektra," "13 Going on 30," "Daredevil" and "Pearl Harbor." Most recently, she completed production on "Deadpool & Wolverine," set to hit theaters July 26.
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When it comes to her own parenting style, Garner has tried to take inspiration from her mother. Pat admitted the three girls pretty much had "no rules" growing up and were "all around" good kids. Garner isn't quite sure she's at the "free-range" style of parenting yet.
"I have teenagers, but they're not quite at that level, but I have tried," Garner explained. "You want to be every bit like your mom if you have a mom like mine. So, I try to just make them free to go. There's no guilt. I'm trying to just say, 'Whatever happens, we'll get through. No judgment.'"
Garner shares three children – Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15 and Samuel, 12 – with ex-husband Ben Affleck.
The "Alias" star and Affleck married in 2005. They announced their separation in 2015.
"After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce," the couple said in a joint statement at the time. "We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding."
However, Garner and Affleck didn't finalize their divorce for another three years.
During that time, Affleck attended rehab twice and the two underwent marriage counseling.
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Despite their split, Garner is still supportive of her co-parent.
Amid Affleck's marital drama with Jennifer Lopez, whom he married in 2022, Garner has been spotted at the "Argo" actor's home.
Garner was photographed arriving at Affleck's rental home on June 15, days after she joined the actor and Lopez to celebrate son Samuel's graduation. Affleck has been staying in the rental home while sorting out issues with Lopez, according to People magazine.
While it is unclear what caused the reported rift between the couple, it seems they often butt heads over parenting style.
"They've had fights about differences of opinions on raising their kids," a source told Fox News Digital. "They have very different parenting styles."
Lopez is currently celebrating Paris Fashion Week solo as Affleck remains at home. The "Let's Get Loud" singer stopped in Italy first for a solo vacation.