Jennifer Garner: Interview on MTV's
Total Request Live
Friday, November 16, 2001


Transcribed by Tammy, Webmistress of The Michael Vartan Fantasy Zone

Carson: Lemme bring out my guest today...Her new show Alias features more double crossing than a wonder bra... say hi to Jennifer Garner.

Carson: I ran into Jennifer last night at the uhh...settle down guys please. What's in that smoke that we put out? It's like testosterone or something. I ran into you at the Knicks game last night at Madison Square Garden.

Jennifer: Yeah, you were there with Puffy.

Carson: Yeah Puffy and I went to check out the game...But then we left.

Jennifer: I know you guys bailed at half-time...it was lame...and the guy won the car.

Carson: Oh, yeah, you know how you go to the games...

Jennifer: Can you stand that? Yeah, they never win. And you know how they have, like, these shooting competitions.

Carson: And the fan comes down and...

Jennifer: And the fan won the car...It was awsome.

Carson: Aww that's great...

(crowd cheers)

Carson: You go to a lot of basketball games?

Jennifer: When I lived in New York I went all the time but I sat way way up, back, way up back, so it was so cool...

Carson: You were chillin' in the court-side seats yesterday...

Jennifer: Yeah I know, it was sweet... Definately the way to be.

Carson: It's crazy to have you here because as I mentioned, you're billboard's right there. When the show came out...(You're waving at yourself...Hi There I am...)

Jennifer: Hi...

Carson: What is it like to look at yourself...Yeah, look at that...That's the heart of the world...Times Square New York, and there's you...It's just insane.

Jennifer: When you were doing the September 11th coverage, which you did a great job by the way, yeah...ummm. We watched and there I was next to your head the whole time. And it was so odd... It was like you and I were hosting together.

Carson: Right, yeah it was like I was crushing your face like this...Ahh we're having our intern olympics today...I was an intern.

Jennifer: I was an intern.

Carson: Yeah, where were you an intern?

Jennifer: I was an intern at theaters all over the country but Umm I was an intern this one summer at Timberlake Playhouse in Mount Carol, Illinois.

Carson: Right.

Jennifer: It's like this non-equity, horrible, little theater.

Carson: That's alright. And what kinda things did you have to do? Were they horrible?

Jennifer: Umm I built all the sets...Like not me personally, but a group of us built the sets. We made the costumes. We sold the tickets... We did the fast changes. It was like one of those total grunt summers that while you're doing it, it sucks, but when you look back you're so glad you did it, you know.

Carson: Well it's a great way in though?

Jennifer: I know. Everybody should be an intern.

Carson: Right, and these are actual interns. We have three girls left who beat the guys already.

Jennifer: Alright!

Carson: Umm Alias... Just for the record, tell everybody if they don't know, about Sydney, your character and what exactly is goin' on in the show.

Jennifer: Ok, Have you guys seen it?

Carson: Oh yeah...

(audience screams)

Jennifer: I'm so glad... I didn't realize anybody had seen it...But ummm ok, so. Sydney Bristow was a spy for SD-6 and she thought that they were the good guys, but they killed her fiance' and sooner or later she found out that they were not the CIA like she thought they were. They were the bad guys. So, the only way to take them down was to work for the actual CIA as a double agent and fight SD-6 and kill them.

Carson: I'm thoroughly confused.

Jennifer: Are you?

Carson: Yeah, but the show looks great. It's got a very cool look to it.

Jennifer: Oh, if you watch it you wont be confused.

Carson: Yeah, no, I understand... Let's watch this clip. This is you and your father...Victor Garber.

Jennifer: With my dad right? With Victor Garber...

Carson: With Victor, yeah. Wanna just watch it, or do you want me to set it up...?

Jennifer: Yeah, let's do ok...

Carson: Let's just watch... Here's Jennifer in action in the show Alias.

(shows clip)

Carson: This is Jennifer Garner on the show Alias on ABC Sunday nights at 9.....Umm the show's got alot of great drama...As I mentioned, it looks cool. Is it special to play a role of a female that really just kicks ass? I mean, there's a lot of strength and power in that. I would imagine that'd be really cool.

Jennifer: Oh yeah, that's the whole point...Right?

(audience screams)

Carson: It's not like one of these sappy female roles where you're like crying and you know...

Jennifer: Nooo... No, not at all... No, I cry but no I mean, I love that this is a woman who is strong and impowered, and intelligent and will just knock the knees off of any man who messes with her.

(audience screams)

Carson: (moves away) I shall ask my questions from here now...

Jennifer: But there is alot of romance...I mean, one of the great things about the show is it does have both sides...I mean we have two hot guys... We have Bradley Cooper and Michael Vartan...yeah...

Carson: Sure...

Jennifer: Yeah, And there's definately a little possible love triangle thing happening so we've got it... We've kinda got it all covered.

Carson: You've got it all covered... To say the least. Outside is Kado who works here at MTV with a fan of yours who would like to ask a question.

Jennifer: Really?

Fan: Hi Jennifer. I just wanna say I love the show Alias... I think you do an awsome job with all that action and the kickboxing...I think it's great.

Jennifer: Thank you so much... What's your question?

Fan: I was just wondering. I know you're married to Scott Foley and didn't know if he had any bad habits you could let us know about.

Jennifer: The important part of that question is what I can let you know about...no... Umm Foley is pretty bad habit free I'm sorry to say. He's pretty great, but you know....

(audience says awwww)

Jennifer: Ewww... Yeah. He is a guy.. And he's messy. you know, He leaves his dishes all over the place, especially his breakfast dishes...

Carson: Aww man...

Jennifer: He does... And you know, and socks and shoes and stuff...so yeah.

Carson: Sorry Scott!

Jennifer: Sorry!...He's right there.

Carson: Come back next time and we'll turn the tables on Jennifer here.

Scott Foley: Right... Right...Right.

Jennifer: Thanks for the question I think.

Carson: You know what I'd like to say to you before you go...In television it's extremely competitive and when your show came out, there's just a gazillion new shows and it's so hard. I mean, They come and they go and all this money goes into it and Alias is a show that has just popped. It's a show that's just very successful and congradulations for that...It couldn't happen to a nicer person.

Jennifer: Thank you so much...thank you.

Carson: Jennifer Garner...and the show if you haven't seen it check it out.. It's called Alias. It's on Sunday at 9 on ABC.

Jennifer: Thank you.