Exclusive: Jennifer Garner reflects on her surprise 13 Going on 30 reunion with Mark Ruffalo while filming their new Netflix movie The Adam Project.
Jennifer Garner opens up more about her happy 13 Going on 30 reunion with Mark Ruffalo in her new movie The Adam Project. In 2004, Garner partnered up with Ruffalo for the Big-esque romcom 13 Going on 30. The Gary Winick-directed film revolved around unpopular Jenna Rink (Christa B. Allen) who, on her 13th birthday, wishes that she could be 30. Her wish is somehow granted, and she wakes up the next morning as a successful adult (now played by Garner) living in New York City. Ruffalo co-starred as Matt, Jenna's dreamy estranged childhood friend and love interest.
13 Going on 30 has long been considered to be one of the most beloved romcoms of the past few decades, which is why fans are so delighted Garner and Ruffalo are about to play an onscreen couple once again. This week will see the release of The Adam Project, a new Netflix film starring Ryan Reynolds as the titular time-traveler who returns to his past and teams up with his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell). Garner and Ruffalo play Adam's parents Ellie and Louis.
In preparation for The Adam Project's release, Garner sat down recently with Screen Rant to promote the movie. SR's Ash Crossan couldn't resist asking the actress about where she feels Jenna and Matty would be today, and Garner admitted that her scene with Ruffalo in The Adam Project almost felt like a 13 Going on 30 continuation. Garner said:
"Well, it honestly felt while we were shooting this movie, and Mark and I have one scene together, but it felt like this could have been a fantasy continuation of the characters in 13 Going on 30, as if they have been really happily married and have a son… and it's Ryan Reynolds or it's this guy, [Walker Scobell]. But yeah, it did feel like whatever that special connection Mark and I had while we were making 13 Going on 30. We'd been away from each other for 18 years. We stayed in touch here and there. But we had our families. We had all of life happen and it was just so great to reconnect and be together, and I hope people feel how much we enjoyed that day together."
Garner and Ruffalo both recently spoke about how lovely it was to have a small 13 Going on 30 reunion for The Adam Project, and the actress' comments to Screen Rant echo those happy sentiments. At the same time, Garner had some new things to say. For example, she and Ruffalo will only get a brief moment together in The Adam Project, so fans will need to appreciate it when it arrives in the film. Additionally, Garner's dream that 13 Going on 30's Jenna and Matt would still be happily together with kids at this point has to resonate with fans of the movie. Jenna and Matty had an unconventional romance in the film, but if Garner says it made for a lasting partnership, then that's an ending that was worth all the drama.
All this renewed talk about 13 Going on 30 has spurred a little bit of a conversation about a sequel, with Garner and Ruffalo even joking that they could make 5o Going on 80. Considering how many people still fawn over Jenna and Matt, that might not actually be an absurd idea. The Adam Project can give an idea of what they would be like as parents, and if audiences like it enough, then perhaps there could be a genuine reason to revisit the world of 13 Going on 30. After all, we could all use some happy stories these days, right?
