Actress and Once Upon a Farm co-founder Jennifer Garner wanted a role on THE WEST WING so badly that losing it sent her to Palm Springs alone for two days — then ALIAS came to her about two weeks later.
“Rejection is God’s protection,” Garner told entrepreneur and ASPIRE WITH EMMA GREDE host Emma Grede in an episode released Aug. 25. Garner framed the moment as hopeful perspective when a closed door still hurts.
The conversation arrived during a full season for Garner, whose recent work includes starring in and executive producing Peacock’s THE FIVE STAR WEEKEND. In February, the children’s food company she co-founded went public at $18 per share and a $724 million valuation, Forbes reported.
That public success grew out of years of course corrections. Garner said the first season of ALIAS overwhelmed her, even as time on the show gave her some of her happiest professional memories.
“You lose a couple of years of life when you become famous. You have to recalibrate. You have to find yourself,” she said.
Looking back, she realized she had quietly pulled away from a friendship, took responsibility and called years later to reconnect. Fame also changed how freely Garner and her children could move through ordinary life. Garner and fellow actress Halle Berry advocated for California protections against aggressive paparazzi behavior toward celebrity children, an effort TODAY reported on in 2013.
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“What it robbed me of were those smiles with other people,” Garner said. Her mother had taught her to make eye contact, smile and pass a little joy along, but the cameras made those simple exchanges harder.
At home, Garner said she feels most like herself in the kitchen with her children and their friends. Motherhood also helped her spot the practical value of fresh baby food, and Once Upon a Farm’s official founding story identifies Garner alongside Cassandra Curtis, Ari Raz and John Foraker as co-founders.
Garner did not stumble into the successful idea on her first try. She described earlier craft, beauty and food ventures that absorbed time, meetings and photo shoots before going nowhere.
“There’s no shame in the game. They just didn’t work,” she said. Acting, with its endless auditions and near misses, had already built her bounce-back muscle.
That resilience eventually met a mission she understood as a mother. Once Upon a Farm says it wants to improve childhood nutrition, and the company highlights its partnership with Save the Children as part of that work.
Garner connected the mission to years of visiting families through Save the Children and learning what food insecurity looks like up close. She said motherhood, heartbreak and experience have also given her more empathy to bring to her work as an actress.
“How you do anything is how you do everything,” Garner said. For her, that means showing up prepared, keeping promises and serving consistently rather than lending her name from a distance.
“Love thy neighbor. It’s that basic,” she said near the end of the interview. Garner hopes her next chapter moves her toward a wiser, more spiritual place where she can spread that kind of love through actions both small and large.
For someone whose career depends on visibility, Garner sounded less interested in chasing attention than in using it well. Rejection did not save her from disappointment, but it taught her that a painful no may still point toward the right yes.
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