Jennifer Garner rose to fame in the early 2000s as the star of J.J. Abrams’ Alias, an engaging spy thriller series for which she earned a Golden Globe and four Emmy Award nominations, among many other honors. On the big screen, Garner then mostly pivoted to feel-good rom-coms, with allowances made here and there for comic book fare (2003’s Daredevil and its spinoff, Elektra), a sprinkling of supporting dramatic roles (Dallas Buyers Club, Draft Day), and an eventual return to action (2018’s Peppermint). She also co-founded the successful organic baby food company Once Upon a Farm, which just earlier this year went public.
In recent years, though, Garner has also dipped her foot back into the format that first launched her into stardom — most notably with Camping, Party Down, and The Last Thing He Told Me. Her most recent effort, the splashy eight-episode drama The Five-Star Weekend, represents her biggest and boldest play yet for a successful small screen second act. Playing on Garner’s strengths with exhibiting a relatable vulnerability while still showcasing a strong sense of comic timing and inherent likability, it also finds Garner actively involved on the other side of the camera, as a producer.
Based on the 2023 novel of the same name by Elin Hilderbrand, whose more than 30 novels have sold enough combined copies to earn her the undisputed crown of “Queen of the Beach Reads,” The Five-Star Weekend made its debut in the United States in July on Peacock, and is available in the United Kingdom on Sky and NOW.
Set, as the overwhelming majority of Hilderbrand’s novels are, in the cozy, well-to-do island burgh of Nantucket, Massachusetts, the show stars Garner as Hollis Shaw, an up-and-coming food influencer known for her warm personality, fun recipes, and unflappably sunny demeanor. In the wake of the death of her husband Matthew (Josh Hamilton), however, Hollis finds herself stuck in a rut and unable to really process her grief and move forward. Seeking to reconnect with key friends old and new, she throws herself into planning a perfect girls’ weekend getaway.
Hollis’ guest list consists of her childhood best friend Tatum (Chloë Sevigny), who still lives in their old hometown and owns a dry cleaning business; her college best friend Dru-Ann (Regina Hall), now a hard-driving sports agent; her best friend in motherhood, Brooke (D’Arcy Carden), who remains perpetually uncertain of herself; and Gigi (Gemma Chan), a new friend and commercial airline pilot Hollis connected with on social media. Also added into the mix are her college-age daughter Caroline (Harlow Jane), home from school and experiencing her own share of grief and life uncertainties, and Jack (Timothy Olyphant), Hollis’ first boyfriend as a teenager. Over the course of 72 hours, cracks in a seemingly picture-perfect life begin to show, as a shocking secret comes bubbling to the surface, foisting life change upon all parties. Judy Greer, Rob Huebel and West Duchovny also co-star in the series, among others.
Recently, Brent Simon had an opportunity to participate in a virtual press conference with some of the cast of The Five-Star Weekend. Excerpts from the conversation are as follows, condensed for the sake of length and clarity:
Question: What was the biggest challenge in portraying Hollis’ journey without defining her only by grief?
Jennifer Garner: So the biggest challenge was that Hollis is really trying to push through grief. She’s trying to kind of put it on another shelf and not have to deal with it. She’s trying to distract herself to make things beautiful in lieu of feeling what she really needs to feel. And the reality is, grief is gonna sneak up on you. It’s there. It’s right under the surface all the time. And so playing both of those things tonally — so that Hollis is almost giddy with leaning into being with her friends and at the same time, right under the surface, grief is lurking — that was probably the trickiest part for me.
Question: Elin Hilderbrand lets her characters be super-complicated. Working so closely with both Elin and Bekah (Brunstetter, the show-runner), what did you give as an actor that you haven’t given before? How was this a new experience for you, if at all?
Gemma Chan: Well, I can talk a bit about Gigi. There’s another version of the show where she could be portrayed as, like, the villain of the piece. But I know it was really important to Elin, the author, and Bekah, our amazing show-runner, and also to me, that Gigi was not portrayed that way — that yeah, she’s made mistakes, she’s a flawed, imperfect human being, and there are consequences to her actions, but she’s also just trying her best. I can’t say some of this without spoilers, but, like, that particular kind of character… was a challenge. And to just try and just be really truthful. Even though she’s a hot mess and she’s messed up, I hope that people can empathize with her. That was my aim.
Question: Chloë, throughout your career, you’ve been drawn to women who don’t necessarily fit society’s expectations. Tatum is sarcastic, stubborn, sometimes difficult, but also deeply vulnerable. What continues to attract you to these imperfect women?
Chloë Sevigny: Well, I was always very sympathetic to Nellie on Little House (on the Prairie). So yeah, from the beginning, from the jump, I’ve been drawn to characters that were maybe flawed. I’m just happy to still be working, though, honestly — to be the age I am now, with the industry where it is now. I mean, I’m drawn to story, I think, before character when I’m looking for parts or jobs. And I just felt like I hadn’t seen this show before and I was really drawn to all of the characters — not even just my own. Knowing that it was an ensemble piece, I just felt like people could relate to something in one if not all of these characters, and I thought that was very appealing as a project to become involved in. I just love these women and all their flaws and foibles.
Question: Do you all have these kinds of friend groups that you’ve had (for a long time), is there a group of people that you all stay in touch with and you can pick it back up regardless of how much time you’ve spent apart?
D’Arcy Carden: Definitely. My Tatum is coming to the premiere tonight — my, like, childhood best friend. I have three girls from high school that I still talk to and a couple of girls from college. It gets harder and harder. That’s also what we’re exploring in this show too you know. With friendships, especially long-term friendships, you have to be very intentional with them, you have to work. It’s so easy for them to just sort of slip into the background or fade away, when you’re focusing on what’s right in front of you. So I felt that working on this and reading the book that this is based on (showed how a) really important part of life is keeping those friendships up. I feel lucky. I have two sisters that I’m really close with, so that can kind of, like, fulfill that need too. But I do think keeping up with those important friendships in your life is becoming more and more important to me the older I get.
Chloë Sevigny: I had a child at 45 and he’s obviously disrupted a lot of my social life. And every new year since he was born, I’ve said, “I’m gonna prioritize my friendships, I’m gonna prioritize my friendships.” Because you do have to make time to maintain them, yeah.
Gemma Chan: I also feel that with friendships that last, it’s so important to allow yourself and also your friends a bit of grace. Even if a bit of time has passed, you know, life has happened and you’ve drifted a bit, I always think there’s never a wrong time to pick up the phone and just give them a call and be like, I’ve missed you and I’m thinking of you. That’s the beauty of those friendships that you can just pick up where you left off.
Question: Jennifer, you’ve had a very successful career mixing both movie and TV. What makes TV work so appealing, both as an actress and a producer?
Jennifer Garner: Thank you. I really enjoy the ongoing nature of television. Even if it’s eight episodes, just having that time to go more deeply into a character and into their story and what makes them tick — because you finally know them by the end of a season, and then you just hope that you get to do it again and start where you left off. And in this case, you know, with a movie or an episode, it wouldn’t have been enough. This was an experience where very early on we all kind of melted into each other. There was an instant and very deep ease amongst the five of us, and it really worked to our advantage as we went through this long, hard season — as these things can be. I mean, hard? (Laughs) Please, it was heaven. But at the same time, do you know what I mean? It’s hours and time, and Chloë was far from home, Gemma was far from home. But then we had Regina to make us laugh.
Question: Grief is a very personal emotion, and not the same for everyone. Do you like to share it with friends or do you prefer to deal with it alone?
Gemma Chan: I think it’s such a personal thing, and there’s really no right or wrong way to deal with it. I think the show kind of demonstrates that. I think there are times when maybe you want to just distract yourself and not talk about it, like Hollis, and that’s your way of surviving in the short- to medium-term. And then you also need those moments where people who really know you in your life say, “You’re not okay. You need to talk about it.” And I think, you know, Tatum does that for Hollis in the show, and it’s hard. I don’t know. I personally have always been a bit of a put-a-brave-face-on-things, smile-through-it (type person), and not really kind of show when I’m suffering or in pain. I’m trying to get better at showing vulnerability and asking for help, but it’s quite hard.
Question: If there ends up being a second season of the show, what adventures or what life explorations would you like your character to have had?
Jennifer Garner: Oh gosh. Hollis is ready to… she’s really in a place where she’s ready to grow. I think she’s had herself reflected back at her from her friends from different decades of her life, and she has relaxed into what they see. And I think she’s really ready to take herself on and to see… I mean, I would love to see where her romantic life goes. And I’m really interested in Hollis as a mom and how she repairs and deepens her relationship with her daughter.
