NEW DELHI: Hollywood star Jennifer Garner says she feels fortunate to have a "lovely life", but the actor, known for romantic comedies such as 13 Going on 30, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Valentine's Day, says she never tries to present a perfect image on social media.
Garner said she leads a normal life and encourages others to do the same.
"Look, I don't post on Instagram very often, maybe once or twice a week.
"But when I do, I definitely am usually not wearing make-up.
"I usually am in whatever I happen to be wearing. And granted, I do live a lovely life and I'm very lucky that way. But I try to take the perfection out of it.
"I'm not a perfect cook and yet I love to cook. So, in my own quiet way, I'm trying to encourage that side of other women and make them feel like we don't have to be airbrushed just to be, just to show up for each other," Garner told PTI in a virtual interview from Los Angeles.
The actor now stars in The Five-Star Weekend, an adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand's novel of the same name, in which she plays Hollis Shaw, a celebrity food influencer.
Hilderbrand's The Perfect Couple was recently adapted by Netflix.
In The Five-Star Weekend, Hollis invites friends from different stages of her life as she tries to process the grief of losing her husband suddenly.
The Peacock series features a star-studded cast including Chloë Sevigny, D'Arcy Carden, Timothy Olyphant and Gemma Chan.
It begins streaming in India on JioHotstar from Friday.
Garner said she was looking for something interesting and complex when she came across Hilderbrand's 2023 novel and immediately connected with its story.
"I love Elin Hilderbrand's writing. I loved this particular novel. I was surprised by it as I read it from beginning to end.
"I love Bekah Brunstetter, who is our showrunner. I loved her adaptation. She's a playwright. She has a deft hand. She's gifted at character, comedy, drama — all of it," the actor said.
"There aren't that many roles that are appropriately complex and compelling for women in their 50s. So, I was thrilled to be offered the role, honestly.
"There were lots of ways that I connected with Hollis Shaw and one of them was being a public person while dealing with something privately."
Like her character in the show, Garner said she has always found strength in her friends.
"I don't mean to be dramatic about it, but my girlfriends are everything. They've propped me up. I have two wonderful sisters, so my girlfriends are a continuation of that sisterhood for me," she said, adding that hosting a gathering of friends in Nantucket, a Massachusetts island that has become popular with Hilderbrand's readers, would be wonderful.
"I can't imagine a more beautiful place for a girls' weekend than Nantucket. As a matter of fact, Nantucket has become a popular destination for groups of women, particularly fans of Elin Hilderbrand's books, who gather there throughout the summer.
"They visit all the places they've read about in her books. And while we were filming there, they'd be on the lookout for us. That was really fun.
"But honestly, I think a gathering of girlfriends can be just as special in your own home. It doesn't matter where you are, as long as you're together," she said.
The 54-year-old actor also said she was delighted to reunite with her 13 Going on 30 co-star Judy Greer on the new series.
The 2004 film, directed by the late Gary Winick and also starring Mark Ruffalo and Andy Serkis, remains a favourite among Garner's fans.
It is now being rebooted by Netflix, with Garner attached as an executive producer.
"It's really a reflection of our beautiful angel of a director, Gary Winick, who died a couple of years later.
"Judy and I try to keep his memory alive because he had this gift for bringing out nostalgia in people and bringing out the very best in his performers because he so believed in what all of us were doing.
"We truly loved him and love to see his legacy continue, whether through the stage musical or the reboot. However it shows up, we're grateful for it," Garner said, remembering Winick, who died of brain cancer in 2011 at the age of 49.