In Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling novel “The Five-Star Weekend,” food influencer Hollis Shaw, reeling from the sudden death of her husband, invites four friends from four different stages of life to a weekend away in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
What begins as a heartfelt attempt to reconnect quickly unravels as long-buried secrets come to the surface, old wounds are reopened and the women confront major life decisions.
Jennifer Garner, who stars as Hollis in Peacock’s adaptation of the novel, said she’s experienced her own version of a “Five-Star Weekend” in real life.
Speaking with Jenna on the July 16 episode of her “Open Book with Jenna” podcast, where Hilderbrand also appeared as a guest, Garner reflected on her latest “Five-Star”-adjacent extravaganza: Gathering friends from every chapter of her life for her 50th birthday on April 17, 2022.
“I just had friends from my whole life. I kind of threw myself a wedding,” said Garner, now 54.
The milestone birthday happened to fall on Easter for the first time in her life, she said, granting her an extra-long celebration. More importantly, it gave the actor an opportunity to bring people together who rarely crossed over.
“One night it was just the girls, and it was so special and fun because I also have this little posse of works friends that I shoot with, like the people I’ve been with forever since ‘Alias,’ and they were part of it as well,” she explained.
“Usually it’s like when I’m with when I’m working, I live that life, and otherwise I just see them now and then. So to have everybody together was especially special.”
The jam-packed weekend also featured a memorable surprise from Garner’s teen crush, Donny Osmond, TODAY.com previously reported. The singer appeared with a custom cake that read: “13 going on 50! Love Donny!”
Hilderbrand, on the other hand, told Jenna that she has never quite embraced the premise of her own novel.
“For the last 33 years, (Nantucket) has been my world. So almost all of my friends are friends that I’ve met on Nantucket,” the author said. “I have my girlfriends from college and I have friends from high school, but the two worlds have not collapsed.”
“You’ve got to make it happen,” Jenna insisted.
“It would be so weird,” Hilderbrand replied, in part. “Like, would it work?”
Garner chimed in: “Yes, it would work. It’s worked for me. It’ll work for you. Women, we look for ways to connect.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
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