Between Alias, Daredevil, Elektra, and several other films and TV shows of the 2000s, Jennifer Garner handily established herself as one of the leading authorities on badass women in pop culture. That said, it's been a decade or so since she last delved into the action genre, with her return now marked by the launch of the upcoming release of her new film, Peppermint. We recently had a chance to ask Garner why she opted to get back into the game with this specific movie, and she explained how a significant portion of her decision was due to the involvement of Pierre Morel. Garner said:
It had been a decade, so it took a lot to be the right movie. First of all, Pierre Morel at the helm, he directed Taken with Liam Neeson and so he really understood the kind of action that I care about doing the most, which is something that's grounded in emotion. I feel like fight scenes are just scenes in a movie, you have to play them fully and act them as if they are just any other scene. You have to have some inciting incident that is so crazy and pushes your character so far that they would have no choice other than to fight or pick up a weapon.
It's no secret that Taken remains one of the most iconic action movies of the last decade, so Pierre Morel was a massive sell for Jennifer Garner when Peppermint came to her. With his involvement, she saw a director who understood the importance of doing emotionally driven action in which the fights are just as performative as the dramatic sequences.
Of course, that wasn't the only thing that attracted Jennifer Garner to the project. In bringing up other revenge films like John Wick or The Bourne Identity, she noted that Peppermint does a fantastic job of swapping things up by moving the focus away from men and instead offering us a woman empowered by the rage of a mother. Garner said:
I think that this movie does a really good job of taking advantage of the rage a mom can feel. We are always playing the joy or the happiness of being a mom, but this movie really dips into the level of rage a mom can feel. That's something anyone can relate to.
Looking for a closer glimpse of our chat with Jennifer Garner? Check out a clip from our interview with the actress, below!
Of course, if you want to see that motherly rage in action for yourself, then make sure to check out Peppermint when Jennifer Garner's new movie debuts in theaters on September 7. Beyond that, head over to our movie premiere guide to read up on all of the films that are set to debut in 2018 and fill out your moviegoing calendars accordingly
