Jennifer Garner is no stranger to physically demanding roles, but one story she recently revisited reminded audiences just how intense her commitment to realism can be. During a panel discussion for Apple TV+’s The Last Thing He Told Me, the actor recalled a memorable—and painful—fight scene from an earlier project in which she accidentally bit off a “chunk” of a fellow actor’s ear.
Garner shared the story while speaking about reuniting on set with actor and stuntman Sala Baker, nearly two decades after their first on-screen confrontation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the last time the two worked together before the Apple TV series was on The Kingdom, a 2007 action thriller directed by Peter Berg.
“The last time I fought him was in The Kingdom,” Garner explained during the panel. She described how Berg pushed for maximum realism in the film’s action sequences, offering very little choreography and encouraging the actors to react instinctively. The instruction, as she recalled via E! News, was essentially to do whatever it took to survive the fight.
Both Garner and Baker took that guidance seriously. As the scene escalated, Garner found herself scrambling onto Baker’s back in the heat of the moment. “I bit his ear,” she said matter-of-factly. “And we have a picture of him missing a chunk of ear, because we were not kidding.” The anecdote drew laughter from the audience, though the incident itself was anything but playful at the time.
Years later, the two found themselves face-to-face again while filming season two of The Last Thing He Told Me, where Baker appears in a kidnapping sequence opposite Garner’s character. Far from holding back, Garner said the reunion brought the same level of intensity—if not more.
“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. Her response was characteristically blunt and humorous. “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.’”
The comment underscored both her sense of humor and her reputation for fully committing to physically demanding scenes. Her co-star Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays her on-screen husband in the series, reacted with visible surprise when she repeated the ear-biting story during the panel. Garner jokingly likened the moment to Mike Tyson’s infamous 1997 boxing match, when the heavyweight champion bit Evander Holyfield’s ear during a title fight.
Despite the shocking nature of the anecdote, Garner defended her actions with self-aware humor, making it clear that she does not see herself as fragile or easily intimidated. The story served as a reminder that beneath her warm public image is an actor who takes her craft—and her action scenes—very seriously.
Beyond the stunt stories, Garner also spoke about why her role in The Last Thing He Told Me has been particularly meaningful. She plays Hannah Hall, a woman determined to protect her stepdaughter after her husband mysteriously disappears. Garner said the character’s preparedness, resilience, and fierce sense of responsibility are central to the emotional heart of the series.
For Garner, portraying a woman who is always thinking one step ahead and willing to fight—literally and emotionally—for her family has been deeply rewarding. Those qualities, she explained, are what give the story its momentum and tension.
Season two of The Last Thing He Told Me is set to premiere on February 20, according to E! News, promising more suspense—and possibly more bruises—for its cast.
