Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo Have a "13 Going on 30" Reunion

Publish date: 2024-06-29

Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner’s recent reunion will have you feeling extremely nostalgic.

On Thursday, Garner paid tribute to Ruffalo—who was receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—with a speech that gushed over her costar in 2004’s 13 Going on 30.

She reflected on Ruffalo’s prestige as one of Hollywood’s foremost leading men, joking that he owes his “rom-com success to the scruffy hair, the untucked cute button-down, both of which became like the norm for cute guys everywhere for the next 20 years,” People reported.

jennifer garner and mark ruffalo

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Regarding the other actresses who have shared screen time with Ruffalo—including Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Keira Knightley, and Gwyneth Paltrow—Garner joked, “I wonder if these esteemed ladies enjoyed Mark’s anxiety as much as I did.” She then referenced the iconic dance number that took place in 13 Going on 30: “I wonder if he tried to drop out of their films, like he did out of ours, after the first rehearsal of the ‘Thriller’ dance where Mark went from kind of shocked that we actually had to do this, to antsy, to deathly quiet, to ‘Bro, this is not for me.’”

In 13 Going on 30, Garner plays Jenna Rink, a 13-year-old girl who wakes up 17 years later in the 30-year-old version of her body. During one of Jenna’s escapades, she livens up a dull party by requesting Michael Jackson's “Thriller” on the dance floor—and subsequently leading the choreography for the attendees, including Ruffalo’s character, Matty.

At the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, Garner and Ruffalo even posed for photos by re-creating the iconic “Thriller” dance moves.

jennifer garner and mark ruffalo

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jennifer garner and mark ruffalo

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This isn’t the first time Garner and Ruffalo have looked back at their time on 13 Going on 30. The friends previously reminisced over the rom-com during a 2022 promo tour for their newest movie together, Netflix action flick The Adam Project.

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As an associate editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsey keeps a finger on the pulse on all things celeb news. She also writes on social movements, connecting with activists leading the fight on workers' rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she’s probably spending too much time on TikTok, rewatching Emma (the 2020 version, of course), or buying yet another corset. 

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