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Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner Recreate Iconic Dance Sequence From 13 Going On 30 At Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony; 10 Interesting Facts About Film
Discover 10 fascinating facts about 13 Going On 30 as Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner recreate thriller dance sequence at Walk of Fame Ceremony!
Mark Ruffalo was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, commemorating a significant milestone in the life of the 56-year-old actor. In celebration of this special occasion, his co-star from 13 Going on 30, Jennifer Garner, delivered a touching and sentimental speech to celebrate this achievement.
The actress credited Mark and his “scruffy hair, the untucked, cute button down” for the actor's rom-com success. As she delved into nostalgia during her speech, Garner also revealed that Mark almost opted out of their cult rom-com film, courtesy of the Thriller dance sequence.
Amid Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo’s everlasting friendship and chemistry that was on display at the latter's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, we have become quite nostalgic, and are taking a stroll down memory lane. We are especially reminiscing the year 2004 when the duo first starred together in 13 Going on 30.
Here are 10 lesser-known facts about the cult classic.
Thriller dance sequence almost scared Mark Ruffalo Away
Starting with the latest. Jennifer Garner revealed in her Mark Ruffalo tribute speech during his Walk of Fame ceremony that the Thriller dance sequence caused the actor so much anxiety that he almost dropped out of the film saying, “Bro, this is not for me.”
At the event, nonetheless, Mark ecstatically joined Garner in recreating the wacky Thriller dance from their film.
The Thriller dance narrowly avoided cancellation
Mark Ruffalo was not the only one with a reluctance towards the eccentric dance number. According to an interview director Gary Winick gave to The Telegraph, the crew members didn't see the point of including a dance scene which took some cast members too much time to perfect.
Tough to imagine anyone but Jennifer Garner as Jenna
Like with almost all films, Garner was not the only actress the makers of 13 Going on 30 were looking at to play Jenna. Gwyneth Paltrow, Hilary Swank, and Renée Zellweger were also in the race to play Jenna in the film who wakes up one day to find out she is no longer a 13-year-old teenager but a 30-year-old woman.
Where are the Six Chicks now
Teenage Jenna, desperate to become popular at school, forms an acquaintance with a group of six popular girls, the aptly named Six Chicks, and much to our delight, two of the six young actresses from the film went on to become big names in the entertainment industry. Yes, we are talking about Ashley Benson from Pretty Little Liars and Captain Marvel herself, Brie Larson.
Watching Mark and Jennifer play teenagers wouldn't have been convincing
13 Going on 30 is not just another romcom that girls enjoy picking up for sleepovers. It deals with a larger theme, the transition of a person from being a teenager to becoming an adult. Luckily, the makers of the film opted for realism and authenticity when they decided against making the adult actors play their teenage versions in the movie. Though the concept works sometimes, we don't think watching Mark and Jennifer who were 36 and 31 years old then, play teenagers would have been that convincing. Strangely enough, Mark revealed that they themselves campaigned to play their 13-year-old counterparts in the flashback scenes.
Little Details Spark Magic
Next time when you decide to watch the cult romance comedy, don't miss out on this minuscule but heavy detail. 13-year-old Jenna wakes up as a 30-year-old at the movie’s 13-minute mark. Additionally, the scene where she screams while she looks at her adult self in the mirror for the first time was inspired by Big, a 1988 Tom Hanks gig.
Bless the producers for the Epilogue!
While Jenna and Matty were always meant to end up together, Gary Winick, the director of the film, had a different ending to the film in mind. He wanted it to end with Jenna and Matty getting married but the producers insisted on showing more of the couple’s happy life together. We were nearly robbed of the wholesome epilogue. Ahhhh! A total nightmare for a book reader. IYKYK.
It was Christa B. Allen’s first film
Christa had no prior acting experience before she played young Jenna in the film. Gary, however, said that she had an “awkwardness” about her which helped her perfect her role.
Jennifer Garner who played adult Jenna said in the documentary highlighting the making of the film, “She has that tall thing going on. Her arms are long and that is exactly how I was at her age. There was more of me than I knew what to do with.”
Christa also played young Jennifer in a different film
In 2009, Christa B. Allen was roped in once again to play the younger version of Jennifer Garner in the film Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
Jennifer Garner did her homework for the role
Jennifer spent time with teenagers to prepare for her role in 13 Going on 30. “A kid of 13 can seem like an adult, but that can be deceptive,” Garner explained. “You always have to remember that they are also incredibly vulnerable, skittish, and childlike. Finding that balance was challenging.”
ALSO READ: 13 Going On 30 QUIZ: How Well Do you Know The Mark Ruffalo-Jennifer Garner Starrer? Find Out!
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