Jennifer Garner: Interview on NBC's
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Saturday, November 17, 2001


Transcribed by Tammy, Webmistress of The Michael Vartan Fantasy Zone

Conan: Alright everybody. You may know my next guest from the films Pearl Harbor and Dude Where's My Car. My favorite title ever...Now she can be seen every Sunday night on the new ABC show Alias, please welcome Jennifer Garner.

Conan: How are you?

Jennifer: I'm great, thank you... How are you tonight?

Conan: I'm good. Congratulations, by the way. This, your show, has been on all those, like, hot shows to watch. And I love the idea myself.

Jennifer: I can't believe you've seen it. I'm so proud of it. I'm so glad you liked it.

Conan: I watch. I watched an episode of the show that like had me on the edge of my couch. That's where I watch...and ahh.

(audience laughs)

Jennifer: I saw you there.

Conan: (laughs)...Yeah, that's right.

Jennifer: I looked out and I saw you.

Conan: And it's such a great idea for a show. You're a grad student who. Or you're posing as a grad student.

Jennifer: I am a grad student.

Conan: You are a grad student who's also a double agent...and I saw one scene where you've just saved the free world and then, you haven't handed in your paper on time and you're busted.

Jennifer: (laughs)

Conan: I thought that was just such a cool idea. And it was played so real...yeah.

(audience laughs)

Conan: And you were really bummed out about it.

Jennifer: Yeah. It's very stressful to be, you know, a double agent.

Conan: Yeah.

Jennifer: International, double agent, spy, grad student.

Conan: And they have you in the most sexy outfits I think I've seen on television.

Jennifer: I knowwww.

Conan: And I'd know, 'cause I cruise the channels and I'm lookin and I'm thinkin'...

(audience laughs)

Conan: But these are amazing outfits they put you in.

Jennifer: They're insane. I've never worn anything like this in my entire life. I mean, clearly, but...the wardrobe designer, Laura Goldsmith, before the first episode shot for the year... She called me and said "Jennifer meet me at this address. You have your first wardrobe fitting," and I went to West Hollywood in Los Angeles and I get there and I'm kinda checking out the address and saying "Is this it?" And I went in. They had to unlock the door to let me in and they locked the door behind me. And there are whips and there are chains...and you know, I'm a nice girl from West Virginia and my eyes are like this big.

Conan: Right.

Jennifer: Because what am I doing here? And this man says "ok, you know if you could just step in here and dust yourself off with baby powder...and we'll get started." And I was like "Well...Ok."

Conan: What's baby powder have to do with anything? This guy's a sick-o.

(audience laughs)

Jennifer: It was a sex shop and I was trying on a latex dress and appearantly for, you know, a rubber dress you've gotta have baby powder on. So I put it on, and it takes two people to get it on, and I was just sitting there and I'm thinking... I can't wear this on television... You know, What am I gonna say to my dad?!

Conan: (laughs)

Jennifer: You know, don't watch ever! Never watch the show.

Conan: Right...right.

Jennifer: Right!

Conan: Maybe he puts baby powder on before he puts his shirt on.

Jennifer: You don't know...

Conan: Maybe he'll say, "Oh, yeah, it works!"

Jennifer: Oh yeah, well then the underwear is showing cause it's so tight and they say "Can you..." It's like, I can't kick in this. I mean this is clearly an embarrassing situation. I was not cut out for this job.

Conan: They also have you doing...I mean this is a very physical show...

Jennifer: Very physical.

Conan: They have you doing all these amazing moves. What kind of...Did you get training for this? Did you get prepared for this before you auditioned?

Jennifer: Yeah, I mean, Yeah. I trained, Yeah. Dude, you know, you have to learn how to do this stuff...but -

(audience laughs)

Conan: Dude! Where's my car? I just love that title anyway...So what kinda preparation did you have to do before you got the role?

Jennifer: So, when I was auditioning, I knew that there was a chance that they might ask me to do something physical and my husband said "Jennifer, you are the hugest wuss... If they ask you to punch...you know, you punch like a girl, girl, girl."

Conan: I punch like a girl, too... yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jennifer: See. We have that in common...yeah.

Conan: Quit it! Whenever I'm gonna fight it's like "no, stop!"

Jennifer: Don't do that. Don't do that, Conan.

Conan: It's not good...laughs...Ok. I use my feet a lot... it's like "No... Quit it."

Jennifer: Please don't... I'm just tryin' to be your friend...

(audience laughs)

Jennifer: So, Yeah. I looked through the yellow pages and I found this dude, Master Yu...and ahh.

Conan: Master Yu?

Jennifer: Master Yu. Y-U.

Conan: And he was in the yellow pages?

Jennifer: He was in the yellow pages.

Conan: Under what? Under?

Jennifer: Martial arts...you know.

Conan: Ok. Alright.

Jennifer: You know. And he was nearby, and so I went every day for a month...And he was evil.

(Audience laughs)

Jennifer: He was from hell.

Conan: Right, right... What kind of stuff was he...?

Jennifer: I mean he wanted me to be more flexible. I used to be a ballet dancer and I'm not anymore and so I've lost my flexability. He would put me in the splits...I mean, when was the last time any of you ever did the splits? He would put me in the splits and then he would just sit on me.

(audience laughs)

Jennifer: And I would start to go "Ahhh! Ok, Ok That's enough! That's enough!" And he said..."Jennifer, I am the water. Water flows down."

(audience laughs)

Conan: That actually means nothing!

Jennifer: Right. But what are you gonna do?

Conan: He said that in every situation. They're telling him his new transmission will cost $800...Water flows down!...

Jennifer: Right. Was is that? I don't know.

Conan: $400.00...what you know.

Jennifer: That's you know... I'm still walking so...

Conan: I've never heard of that move where you sit on top of somebody who's in a split... That...that... you know... That could you know...Your legs could break off.

(audience laughs)

Conan: I'm no doctor but I know that legs would break off in that situation.

Jennifer: (Laughs)

Conan: That's insane.

Jennifer: Well, try it in the next commercial...I mean it's not pretty.

(audience laughs)

Conan: (laughs) Yes we will now....you brought it up.

(audience cheers)

Conan: Now you mentioned that you have a husband...

Jennifer: Yes.

Conan: Do you have kids yet?

Jennifer: No, no, no, no...We have...

Conan: Pets?

Jennifer: Two dogs. We have two dogs and a cat.

Conan: Ok, What are their names?

Jennifer: We've got Maggie-May, who we rescued. She's a beagle-boxer. And Charlie-Rose, who is a maltese.

Conan: You have a dog named Charlie-Rose?

Jennifer: Yeah.

Conan: Why did you name your dog Charlie-Rose?

Jennifer: She's a girl...and I wanted a girl dog...

Conan: Well, That makes sense! You've cleared it up for me.

(audience laughs)

Jennifer: I wanted a girl dog named Charlie.

Conan: Right...

Jennifer: But it needed to be a little more feminine because people immediately started assuming she was a guy...which...you know...

Conan: Right... So, the dog's name is Charlie-Rose?

Jennifer: Yeah. And it just makes me laugh when people are like..."Did you see Charlie-Rose last night?" And I just kinda go "Hehehe Yeah..."...My dog.

Conan: (laughs)

(audience laughs)

Jennifer: But I'm thinkin' about... We're thinking about getting...we're thinking about getting another dog...I mean if we get a bigger house ever... We're definately get a bigger... And we might name it Conan...Like an irish setter or something.

Conan: Oh, that's great...yeah.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Conan: Yeah, you'll be in a resteraunt..."Yeah, I just had Conan neutered."

Jennifer: Yeah.

(audience laughter)

Conan: People will be like..."I heard that about him!"

Jennifer: Well it'll be at night before you want to put Conan to bed...and we'll be like "Come on Conan...you wanna go potty?! You wanna go potty potty? Conan!"

Conan: There's someone who says that now.

(Audience laughter)

Conan: We have all kinda of problems... You don't even wanna know about the problems.

Jennifer: I don't wanna know another thing.

Conan: Ahh, Alias is a very cool show... Congratulations to you. You do a great job on that. It airs Sunday nights at 9 on ABC... Jennifer, thank you so much for coming by.

Jennifer: Thank you.