Jennifer Garner has revealed she felt nervous filming romantic scenes with Timothy Olyphant in their new TV show The Five-Star Weekend, a reunion 20 years after they starred together in the 2006 film Catch and Release. Speaking to Metro in London, Garner said the experience was 'very comfortable' overall, but love scenes made her 'squidgy' as she gets older.
Parallels Between Catch and Release and The Five-Star Weekend
Garner pointed out the striking similarities between the two projects. In Catch and Release, her character Gray finds solace with her late fiancé's friend Fritz (Olyphant) after a sudden death. In The Five-Star Weekend, Garner's Hollis, a food influencer, also deals with the shock death of her husband Matthew (Josh Hamilton) and rekindles a romance with her first boyfriend Jack (Olyphant). 'I know! Isn't it crazy? Yeah, I kept waiting, “Does anyone get that this is what we played before?”' Garner said with a smile.
Comfort and Trust on Set
Garner credited her existing relationship with Olyphant and his wife Alexis for easing the awkwardness. 'I already know Timothy's wife, and I love Alexis so much. He and I trust each other, we like each other, we know that we work well together, and he has no problem making fun of me from the jump, so it was very comfortable and easy. I was very, very happy it was Tim,' she explained.
The actress admitted she feels 'much more nervous about romantic scenes than I used to', but the familiarity with Olyphant helped. 'It was so nice to already have that comfort level, especially in a romantic role, because it's squidgy as you get older, especially.'
Exploring Grief and Female Friendship
The Five-Star Weekend also delves into grief through multiple characters. Hollis's grief is public, and she tries to bottle it up, while Gigi (Gemma Chan) grieves in secret. 'Gigi. She's very much trying to cover and put on a front in this setting with these women that she doesn't know. But they're both grieving inside, and they've both got a lot to process. And secrets, Gigi has quite a few secrets,' Chan told Metro.
The cast, which includes Chloë Sevigny, Regina Hall, and D'Arcy Carden, had never met before filming but developed an 'easy chemistry from the start,' according to Chan. Garner recalled that assistant directors would say the set was ready, and the actresses would reply, 'But we're talking! We're busy!' Garner added, 'We all complemented each other's working styles and personalities so easily.'
Adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand's Novel
The series is based on the book by Elin Hilderbrand, whom Garner praised for giving every character 'something to chew on.' 'You have five lead characters, and it's an ensemble, and everyone has an arc, a beginning, a middle and an end. Everyone has specific relationships with every other person. It's not like four people are there to serve one,' she said.
Hoping to Inspire Connection
Garner and Chan shared hopes for how viewers, especially women, will feel after watching. 'I hope they feel seen. I hope they call somebody, maybe [who] they haven't spoken to in a long time, and reach back out and just let go of any weird thing that was hanging because of distance or time,' Garner said. Chan added, 'Definitely. Hopefully they can reconnect.'
Garner also highlighted the show's humour, noting performances by Regina Hall and D'Arcy Carden: 'Regina Hall, I'm sorry, D'Arcy Carden, are you kidding me? They're the funniest. Chloe, they're the funniest, funniest. It's the best. I can't wait for people to see it. I'm so excited.'
The Five-Star Weekend is available to watch on Sky and NOW.
