Catch and Release
Interview: Jennifer Garner on Catch and Release
“It was never certainly for lack of anyone's enthusiasm,” she said. “It was I think because of certainly my enthusiasm that I wanted them to wait because I knew that if this had come out when we first talked about last April, they wanted it to open the last week I'd be shooting Alias which couldn't be moved because of our air date, which was so emotional for me. And even talking about it in the meetings when they first started talking about it, I said, 'Well, it'll be my last day…' and [started crying]. So it would have been that and I had a two month old baby. It would by then be a three and a half, four month old. I just knew and I was kind of pulled to the brink just by going to work at all, which at Alias they were being very kind to me. I was working eight hour days. I was with her most of the time. She was at set with me. But traveling with her when she was that new and I was a first time mom, the whole thing kind of overwhelmed me and I didn't want to short shrift Alias and I didn't want to short shrift the movie. So that's kind of how my part of the decision was made and now I'm just so happy because I can be here and feel good. I had a good night's sleep, I can talk to all of you guys.”
The film gives Garner a showcase for her other, non action talents. She plays a woman grieving the death of her fiancé, but with all the laughter of life’s normal ridiculous occurrences. It’s not a chick flick.
“There are just people who get a female vibe and Susannah [Grant] without a doubt, that was one of the things I loved about making this movie. We just had girl heaven. There was Jenno Topping, this wonderful producer who was smart and to the point and no bullshit. And then there's Susannah who is this incredible writer who in the middle of the scene, if it wasn't working, you could kind of say, ‘What I feel like I should be saying, Susannah, is this and what I'm trying to get across is this.’ And she'd say, ‘Oh, well, you're right. Let me just take a minute.’ And she would literally, you'd think she'd just gone to the bathroom or something and she would come back and have reworded it in such a way that it was all clear and there so that's kind of magical to have somebody who has that ability right there every day all the time. And just her warmth and kind of her calmness and her stillness. I mean, normally sets, at some point, there's a blow up. Like the director will be like,’ ‘Come on guys! We've got to go!’ That never happened with her. It could not have been more just zen and chill.”
Garner is surrounded by men in the film, including Timothy Olyphant, Sam Jaeger and funnyman Kevin Smith. Smith challenged Garner’s endurance for his improvisational humor.
“It was good for me and it was a blast. He never once said the lines that were on the page. I don't know if Susannah told you this, but she would say during a scene, ‘Please just once do it like I've written it.’ I mean, she's an Academy Award nominated writer. Do what she wrote. But he couldn't. Every now and then he'd do it and he blatantly would say, ‘Just give me a line reading. Just tell me how you want me to say it because your line doesn't make sense to me.’ And she would be like, ‘Ugh, Kevin.’ And she'd do the line for him which that's the no-no of directing and acting and he would do it and he'd be hysterical. So he was a novelty on set.”
Always a crack up on the Alias gag reels, Catch and Release was no exception for Garner. “I'm bad about keeping a straight face anyway. I very rarely keep a straight face the whole day so no, I can say that I did not keep a straight face with Kevin Smith nor did I with anyone else.”
Catch and Release opens to theatres Friday, January 26th.
Stay tuned for updates.
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