Jennifer Garner revealed she once bit off a chunk of a co-star’s ear while filming a brutal fight scene.
While discussing the second season of her show, “The Last Thing He Told Me,” during a panel conversation at the Apple TV Press Day, the 53-year-old actress recalled the incident occurred while she was working with actor and stunt performer Sala Baker on the set of the 2007 movie “The Kingdom.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Garner explained that she and Baker had recently reunited for another fight scene in “The Last Thing He Told Me” and shared the story of their first violent on-set encounter.
“Can I just say that the performer, Sal, the last time I fought him was in ‘The Kingdom,’” Garner said. “Pete Berg, who was the director, told him to try to kill me. We did not have a lot of choreography, and he told me to do anything I could to survive. He did, and I did, and I ended up scrambling onto his back. I bit his ear, and we have a picture of him missing a chunk of ear because we were not kidding.”
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“The Kingdom” is a political action thriller about an FBI team sent to Saudi Arabia to investigate a deadly terrorist attack. In the film, Garner played Janet Mayes, a forensic specialist and member of the FBI team, while Baker was credited in the role of a kidnapper. The movie also starred Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman.
Garner said she and Baker didn’t dial down the intensity at all while reunited for their fight scene in “The Last Thing He Told Me.”
“We went for it in a way that the crew — this was maybe our first or second day of shooting — were like, ‘Can you be careful with her?'” Garner recalled. “I was like, ‘No, no, no, no, he’s not going to be careful. I’m not going to be careful. Just back out of the way. I have a score to settle here.’ And Sal was with us the entire season. So, prepare yourselves.”
Based on Laura Dave’s bestselling book, “The Last Thing He Told Me” is an Apple TV mystery-thriller series that premiered in 2023. The first season follows Hannah Hall (Garner) whose seemingly ordinary life is upended when her husband Owen Michaels (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) suddenly disappears, leaving behind only a cryptic note telling her to “protect her,” referring to his daughter Bailey (Angourie Rice). Hannah and Bailey, who share a strained relationship, then embark on a mission to uncover the truth about Owen’s disappearance.
In addition to Garner, Coster-Waldau and Rice returned for the second season, while new cast members include Rita Wilson and Judy Greer, all of whom took part in the panel discussion. After Garner shared the story of her first encounter with Baker, Coster-Waldau was caught off-guard and halted the conversation.
“Can we just go over that again? You bit a piece of his ear off?” Coster-Waldau asked Garner.
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“Like Mike Tyson,” the “Alias” alum joked, referencing the infamous 1997 boxing incident in which Tyson bit his opponent Evander Holyfield’s ear, tearing off a piece of it.
Coster-Waldau then called out the audience’s reaction to Garner’s anecdote, asking, “Why are you all looking as if this is a great thing? What is wrong with you people?”
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“Don’t make me mad. I seem nice. I’ve warned you before,” Garner told Coster-Waldau with a smile. “Oh my god, no, I love you.”
Later in the panel discussion, Garner, who also serves as an executive producer of “The Last Thing He Told Me,” teased what viewers can expect from the second season after the first ended on a major cliffhanger.
“Have you guys heard of this term competency porn?” she asked. “Like, just we’re so hungry for grown-ups to be competent and smart and have integrity and do what they’re supposed to do … that we really fall for shows like [HBO medical drama] ‘The Pitt,’ where Noah Wyle is just so in charge, and all those nurses are incredible.
“In this case, Hannah does that for me,” she continued. “She has prepared everything for every eventuality, all to keep Bailey safe. And, so, watching as the penny drops and Hannah really realizes the kind of danger they’re in, watching those actions fall into place and watching her take one step after the other and include Bailey in this grand escape is, to me, really, really gratifying.”
