Woman of letters: Jennifer Garner explains how she landed her role in Apple TV+’s ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’

In this day and age of instant communication, there’s a lost art of letter writing — but don’t tell that to Jennifer Garner, who tells ABC Audio it was personal notes that snagged her the plum role of Hannah in Apple TV+’s new drama The Last Thing He Told Me. 

Based on Laura Dave‘s bestseller, and co-produced by Reese Witherspoon, the show sees Garner’s character looking for her missing husband (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) — and finding out he wasn’t who she thought he was. He leaves only a cryptic note, and a duffel bag full of cash for her and her stepdaughter, Bailey (Angourie Rice).

But first, Jennifer had to land the part. That’s where the stationary comes in. 

“I knew that the role had suddenly become available and that it wouldn’t stay that way. And that my best shot was to get in there before it got out to my wonderful colleagues in the world,” Garner tells ABC Audio. 

“And so … I put my kids to bed, and then I stayed up all night writing letters to everyone, to my friend Reese, to [producer] Lauren Neustadter, to Laura Dave, to Zack [Van Amburg] the head of Apple Television. And they were all different because I was afraid they were going to share them,” she says with a laugh. 

On set, Rice joked that as Bailey and her stepmom try to unravel the mystery of her dad’s disappearance, they become like Scooby-Doo and Shaggy. 

“You’re the first to bring that up!” Garner said, laughing. “Yes, Scooby and Shaggy!” Rice enthused. “I think I’m Shaggy, aren’t I? And you’re Scoobs,” she said to Rice. “Yeah, I’m Scoobs … I was always having Scooby Snacks on set.”  

The Last Thing He Told Me is now streaming.

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