Jennifer Garner caught the acting bug while at university. She originally enrolled at Denison University as a chemistry major, but later switched to a drama major when she found that she preferred treading the boards rather than being stuck in a lab. She rocketed to fame in 2001 when she landed the lead role in the sci-fi TV series Alias. She went on to play Elektra Natchios in Daredevil (2003) a role she is set to reprise in the movie Elektra, which is currently in pre-production. Garner recently added her vocal talents to a new Alias console game. Review Graveyard caught up with her as Alias the game was due to be released...

ReviewGraveyard: Is this the first time that you have ever been involved in a video game? If so, what are some of the things that make the experience different for you?

Jennifer Garner: This is actually not the first time that I've played a role that's ended up in a video game. Elektra from Daredevil is in a video game. It's so much fun to sit in a booth and try to put everything into your voice that you would normally be doing on camera, particularly with a character that I know so well and love so much.

RG: While you may have watched yourself on TV performing in Alias, what's it going to feel like to see yourself in a video game version of the show?

JG: It makes me a little bit anxious to see Sydney in the video game because I don't have any control over her. And although I know you can just push new game and she'll just pop right back up. Definitely she looks enough like me and moves enough like me that I don't like to seeing her get shot down.

RG: Are you excited to have a "virtual self" in the Alias video game?

JG: I think there's probably nothing better than having a virtual character.

She doesn't seem to gain weight, she doesn't seem to need a lot of sleep - she seems to be ready to go at any time.

I wish I could hire her... I wish I could send her to work for me when I have to go at 5:00 in the morning and say: "You know what virtual Sydney, have a great day, lunch is at 2:00."

RG: Are you proud of Alias and to be able to participate in a project stemming from this show?

JG: I've never been more proud of a job than I am of Alias, just to be a part of it. I love it for so many different reasons. I think it's a really entertaining show. I'm just proud to be part of the cast,

I'm proud to say the words that J.J Abrams writes for us. But a huge part of it is, I'm proud to play a strong woman on TV, and that's something that you definitely see in the video game.

This is a female protagonist who is out there taking care of herself, in charge of her life. If she needs to accomplish something in a mission she'll do whatever it takes.

You can tell that even in the video game that she's smart and strong and an altogether cool chick.

RG: Working with the same writers and production team from the show, how easy was it for you to get into character and do your voice sessions for a "virtual set?"

JG: The great thing about doing these voice-overs is that our writers and producers wrote these lines. So, these are things that I've said a million times or things in the vein of what I would say everyday. Tomorrow I'll be saying these lines. It's so easy and fun to just sit there and imagine the cast and what we would be doing, because it's all right there, I can see it.

RG: Do you like to play video games? If so, which ones?

JG: We weren't allowed to play video games when I was little. I came from a house of three girls, so we played piano we didn't play video games. But as soon as I went to my friends' house I would play Frogger and Ms. Pacman. I was a disaster at them and I should not be allowed to play Sydney Bristow in the video game. I would clearly get her killed every five seconds and I love her way too much for that.

RG: Many video games provide the characters with super powers, if you could give your character a power what would it be?

JG: I think Sydney would benefit from a lot of video game superpowers like jumping in the air and flipping several times and kicking on the way down. I wish I could do that in real life.

RG: When you were a child growing up, what kinds of games did you like to play? Did you ever pretend to be a super hero or super spy?

JG: I did pretend to be a spy all the time - Harriet the Spy was my favourite book. And so I actually didn't pretend to be a spy, I did spy on my neighbours. I'm not particularly proud of that, but I did.

RG: Thank you for you time.

With thanks to Hayley Barker and Louise Dawson at New Media Maze

Acclaim's Alias is released on PS2 and X-Box from 08 April 2004 and on PC from 28 May 2004.

Order the PS2 game for £29.99 (RRP: £34.99) by clicking here
Order X-Box game for £29.99 (RRP: £34.99) by clicking here
Order the PC game for £22.49 (RRP: £19.99) by clicking here

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