Credit: Columbia/Courtesy Everett Collection
Jennifer Garner and Judy Greer react to the surprising pipeline between 13 Going on 30 and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In the romantic comedy, the 13-year-old Jenna Rink (Christa B. Allen) wishes that she could leave 1987 and fast-forward to being “Thirty, flirty, and thriving.” Her wish comes true, with Garner playing the 30-year-old version of the character that wakes up in 2004, where she works at a fashion magazine with Lucy Wyman (Judy Greer). Since the movie was released in 2004, Garner has appeared in the MCU’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) as Elektra and Judy Greer portrays Scott Lang’s ex-wife Maggie in Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018).
In an interview with ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan for The Last Thing He Told Me season 2, Garner and Greer discuss their favorite parts of the 13 Going on 30, which include the “Thriller” scene, getting to explore New York City, and being part of “a lighting-in-a-bottle” project.They address how their co-stars, Mark Ruffalo and Andy Serkis, have gone to star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well. Greer also mentions how people forget that she plays Cornelia, the wife of Serkis’ Caesar in the Planet of the Apes franchise. Check out Garner and Greer’s comments below:
Jennifer Garner: The “Thriller.” But really, for us, when we’re together, it’s just thinking about running around New York. Oh my God — how young we were, how much fun, what a big deal it was for us. And it was a big deal for us without thinking it would be a big deal for the world.
Judy Greer: Yeah, that was my biggest role. You were starring in a romantic comedy. Mark [Ruffalo] was starring in a romantic [comedy] — I don’t know. It was kind of a lightning-in-a-bottle moment. Our director, Gary Winnick, was an angel on earth. He really was. Our producers were these great women. We got lucky. It was really special.
Jennifer Garner: I know — isn’t that wild? Even Andy Serkis, who you worked with. He was your ape husband.
Judy Greer: Yeah — he was my ape husband. Ape husband. Yeah. It was funny because I was always like, “Oh, Andy and I worked together before when he played a human man.” People forget. He was our crazy boss.
As Bruce Banner/the Hulk, Ruffalo is one of the actors who most frequently appears in the MCU movies. His first appearance was in The Avengers (2012) and he is in the franchise’s next film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026). Meanwhile, Serkis plays the villainous Ulysses Klaue, an arms dealer introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) who returns in Black Panther (2018). Yet another 13 Going on 30 cast member in the MCU that Garner and Greer do not mention is Brie Larson, known for her portrayal of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, who plays a member of the mean girl clique known as the Six Chicks.
More than two decades later, the romantic comedy that originally brought these actors continues to have a beloved reputation. In ScreenRant’s 13 Going on 30 review, published in 2025, Rachel LaBonte writes that “Jenna learns to value her kindness, her creativity, and her big heart, which are often things girls feel they have to leave behind as they get older. That Jenna embraces it all and gets back in touch with herself, all while falling in love with a very dreamy Mark Ruffalo, is a beautiful arc that I’m sure hits home for many women watching today.”
While Ruffalo is now widely associated with his MCU character, Matty Flamhaff in 13 Going on 30 is a defining role in his career, while Serkis played Jenna and Lucy’s boss, Richard Kneeland, before joining the MCU, Planet of the Apes, or Star Wars franchises. As for Garner and Greer, fans can see them reunite in season 2 of Apple TV’s The Last Thing He Told Me.
The Last Thing He Told Me season 2 debuts on February 20, only on Apple TV.
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