Jennifer Garner Shares The Life Lessons She Wishes She Knew At 21
“Growing up is not always pretty.”
Since fully stepping into the spotlight as lead Sydney Bristow in Alias in 2001, Jennifer Garner has taken on roles in projects like Juno; Love, Simon; and more recently, The Last Thing He Told Me. Choosing a favorite is impossible, but it’s easy to name her most-quoted movie: 13 Going on 30.
The film follows Garner’s character Jenna Rink, a teenager who wakes up one day as a 30-year-old woman with a dream job, a hot boyfriend, and a lush apartment, but missing one thing: her best friend. The movie explores what really matters — and what life lessons are worth passing on to your younger self. Garner’s had plenty of practice thinking about them.
“I don’t know what I pictured for my life, but this definitely is not it,” she says of her current state. “I wish I had just had somebody whisper into my ear from the future, ‘It’s all going to be OK.’”
From an early age, Garner understood the basics of self-care. “I was always good about washing my face at night,” she says. “I was always good at having relationships that were sustaining. I’ve always been good at having my own spiritual practice, which I think is part of wellness. And I was always good at making sure I was moving.”
One piece of that self-care puzzle has evolved over the years: her level of sun protection. “When I was younger, I was accidentally good to my skin because I wasn’t in the sun. All my friends were lifeguards, but I was always inside a theater. They called me Casper,” the 53-year-old actor says. “I had never been considered pretty. Looking back, I think that was really healthy. There were lots of things I could have done to ‘look better,’ but I’m glad I wasn’t doing them.”
Since those days, her skin care routine — sun protection included — has gone through some crucial updates. Daily, the 17-year Neutrogena ambassador relies on its Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 70 and Ultra Sheer Mineral Face Liquid SPF 70 to keep her skin healthy.
Below, Garner shares more lessons she wishes her 21-year-old self knew about beauty, friendship, and forgiveness. — Hannah Kerns, staff writer
- “Your skin is going to be with you forever. Taking care of it is a lifelong thing, like taking care of your teeth.”
- “Keep washing your face every night. I know it’s easy to skip, but you need your face to be clean.”
- “Nothing looks better in your 50s than sunscreen in your 20s.”
- “Be diligent about your sunscreen — and not just on a sunny day.”
- “When it comes to makeup, less is more.”
- “If you’re going to use a lot of something, go for a drugstore brand you trust. Don't buy something that costs a billion dollars.”
- “Wellness really comes down to sleep and exercise.”
- “Sugar is going to bother you. Eat some salads.”
- “Growing up is not always pretty. You’re going to do dumb things. Your friends are going to do dumb things. Give each other grace.”
- “Find a way to take action. It will make you feel safer in a stressful world that is vastly uncontrollable.”
- “Let go of things that don’t serve you.”
- “Your 30s are when things start to hum. You’re trying to figure out: ‘Am I going to have a baby? Who am I going to have a baby with? What is that going to look like? How will I keep working?’ It’s tricky, but it’s not forever.”
- “The best way to reduce stress is to have a good workout.”
- “Balance is a long-term goal, not a one-day thing. When you have little kids, you’re all about them. With older kids now, it’s much easier to balance. Don’t let finding balance become a stressor.”
- “Go into auditions fully off book. I didn’t always take it as seriously as I could have.”
- “If you want self-esteem, do estimable things.”
- “You’re going to make mistakes. Give yourself a break and move on.”
- “Don’t conflate fame with success, and don't let somebody else define success for you. Define it for yourself.”
- “Your ripples can change the world — you don’t have to have a platform or be famous to have an impact.”
- “Forgive quickly.”
- “I wish I had known how strong I was. But I think you kind of have to learn that as you go.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
