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15 things you didn't know about '13 Going on 30'

Christina Dambrosio   

15 things you didn't know about '13 Going on 30'
There was a lot of thought put into the clothes.Columbia Pictures
  • "13 Going on 30" is a favorite among fans of romantic comedies and it was released 16 years ago.
  • The film has cameos from now-famous actors, like Brie Larson and Ashley Benson.
  • Mark Ruffalo almost turned down the role of Matty because he didn't want to dance in the "Thriller" scene.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

"13 Going on 30" (2004) has become a favorite among audiences who have hailed it as one of the best romantic comedies of all time.

The film starred Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, and Andy Serkis. It follows Jenna Rink (Garner), a 13-year-old who gets stuck in her own 30-year-old body.

Here are 15 things you might not know about "13 Going on 30:"

Read the original article on Insider

Garner was a big fan of Ruffalo before they worked together.

Garner was a big fan of Ruffalo before they worked together.
Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner in "30 Going on 30."      Columbia Pictures

Garner also said she was a big fan of working with Ruffalo in the film.

"Mark [Ruffalo] is an out-of-control, unbelievably amazing actor. Five years ago if you had said, 'List three or four actors that you would love to work with,' he would be at the top of my list," she said in the behind-the-scenes feature.

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Ruffalo and Garner first met during a rehearsal for the movie.

Ruffalo and Garner first met during a rehearsal for the movie.
Mark Ruffalo and Jenna Rink in "13 Going on 30."      Sony Pictures

"Our first meeting was a rehearsal, it was read-through," Ruffalo said in the documentary, adding that there were a bunch of other producers and other people in the room, too.

The characters' costumes reflect their intentions.

The characters
There was a lot of thought put into the clothes.      Columbia Pictures

In the documentary, Susie Desanto, the film's costume designer, said the clothes each character wears is representative of their growth.

Jenna Rink's closet, for example, has a lot of pinks and soft fabrics that a 13-year-old Jenna would have picked out. Lucy's wardrobe goes the opposite way and it starts to incorporate red and black pieces.

Lucy's dark clothing reflects her cutthroat tendencies and Jenna's reflects her return to who she used to be.

Desanto explained, "Jennifer's character has a huge character arc and how she changes and realizes who she is and the costumes have to tell that story."

The movie was shot all around New York City

The movie was shot all around New York City
Jennifer Garner as Jenna Rink in New York City.      New Line Cinema

The cast and crew filmed "13 Going on 30" on location in New York City, and they got shots in tons of places, from inside Central Park to under the Brooklyn Bridge.

"It was hot and sometimes beautiful and crowded," Garner said in the documentary. "Sometimes you'd have hundreds of tourists watching."

"13 Going on 30" almost didn't cast young actors for the flashback scenes.

"13 Going on 30" almost didn
There was the possibility that Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner were going to play the younger versions of themselves.      New Line Cinemas

Before the younger versions of Jenna, Matty, and Lucy were cast, the older actors were going to portray younger versions of themselves.

According to Ruffalo in that same documentary, this idea "was talked about for some time" but the crew didn't think it would work out very well.

Judy Greer improvised many of her lines in the film

Judy Greer improvised many of her lines in the film
Judy Greer made the role her own.      New Line Cinema

In the documentary, Greer said she was encouraged to say or do anything while filming "13 Going on 30."

"Judy Greer, without a doubt, is a comic genius. She knows how to take something that looks like nothing and spin it," Garner said. "Talk about improvising — she always can make a line that seems funny 10 times funnier."

Greer's mom got emotional when meeting the actress who played the younger version of her daughter

Greer
Alexandra Kyle played young Lucy.      SGranitz/WireImage

According to the documentary, the first time Greer's mom met Alexandra Kyle — who plays young Lucy "Tom-Tom" Wyman in the film — she was blown away by how much the actress resembled her daughter.

Kyle said Judy's mother told her, "It's like seeing my daughter again."

In the documentary, Greer said she doesn't see the similarities between Kyle and her teenaged self, adding that she "looked like a little boy" when she was that age, and Kyle looked "gorgeous."

A deleted scene from "13 Going on 30" revealed that Jenna had a tattoo.

A deleted scene from "13 Going on 30" revealed that Jenna had a tattoo.
Turns out, 30-year-old Jenna Rink has a tattoo.      New Line Cinema

In a deleted scene from the movie, Matty urges Jenna to see a doctor get to the bottom of how she's feeling.

During the appointment, the doctor says she can't find anything wrong with Jenna and compliments her tattoo. When the door closes, Jenna frantically searches her body to find her mysterious ink.

Many of the actors in "13 Going on 30" have since been in Marvel-based films.

Many of the actors in "13 Going on 30" have since been in Marvel-based films.
Jennifer Garner as Elektra.      New Line Cinema

Garner, Ruffalo, Greer, Serkis, and Larson have all had roles in Marvel-based movies.

Garner played Elektra in both 2003's "Daredevil" and 2005's "Elektra." Ruffalo played the Incredible Hulk in multiple "Avengers" films, and Larson starred as Captain Marvel in 2019.

Greer played Maggie Lang in 2015's "Ant-Man" and 2018's "Ant-Man And The Wasp."

Serkis, who played Jenna's boss in the movie, appeared as Ulysses Klaue in 2015's "Avengers: Age Of Ultron," as well as 2018's "Black Panther."

Ruffalo almost didn't take the role of Matty because of the "Thriller" scene

Ruffalo almost didn
Both Mark Ruffalo and his character were hesitant to dance in "13 Going on 30."      New Line Cinema

The now-iconic scene in the film where Jenna and Matty spontaneously nail Michael Jackson's "Thriller" dance almost didn't happen.

In the documentary, Garner said "nothing was more fun" than watching Ruffalo try to learn the "Thriller" dance. But Ruffalo doesn't exactly agree.

In a 2004 interview with Black Film, Ruffalo said, "The dancing was horrible. I almost didn't want to do this movie. I literally read it and I'm like 'I can't do this movie. I can't get up and do those scenes.'"

"I'm like 'white boy don't dance," he told the publication. "When [Jennifer Garner] dragged me out (onto the dance floor) she was literally dragging me out and I had hours of rehearsal with a dance coach who taught me how to do all the moves and stuff and still, when we got into actually shooting it and there were 300 extras around, I did not want to do that scene."

The Six Chicks had some serious star power.

The Six Chicks had some serious star power.
Ashley Benson (second from the right) and Brie Larson (far right) appeared in "13 Going on 30."      New Line Cinema

The movie's popular clique the Six Chicks featured two stars you might recognize today —Ashley Benson of "Pretty Little Liars" fame and Academy Award-winner Brie Larson.

Garner and Greer are friends in real life.

Garner and Greer are friends in real life.
Jennifer Garner and Judy Greer in "13 Going on 30."      Columbia Pictures

Although Garner and Greer, who played Lucy Wyman, are frenemies in the film, the two are pals in real life.

"I just really love her so much, and she is such a special person ... ," Greer said about Garner in a 2018 interview with The Social. "There's not a lot of people in the world that deserve everything that they've gotten, and all the success, and she is one of them. I'm really happy for her."

"13 Going on 30" wasn't the only time Garner and Allen worked together.

"13 Going on 30" wasn
Christa B. Allen in "13 Going on 30."      New Line Cinema

After connecting with Garner on "13 Going on 30," Allen later went on to appear in "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" (2009) with the actress.

Once again, she played a teenage version of Garner's character.

Christa B. Allen was cast as young Jenna because she looked just like Garner as a teenager.

Christa B. Allen was cast as young Jenna because she looked just like Garner as a teenager.
Christa B. Allen Allen as young Jenna Rink.      New Line Cinema

Christa B. Allen didn't have any acting experience before this movie, but, in the documentary, Garner said Allen really resembled her teenage self, which is one of the reasons she was cast.

Garner was directly offered the leading role shortly after she won a Golden Globe.

Garner was directly offered the leading role shortly after she won a Golden Globe.
Jennifer Garner during her Golden Globe speech in 2002.      NBC

According to the film's behind-the-scenes documentary "Making of a Teen Dream," Garner was directly asked to be in this movie after she won a Golden Globe for her role on the show "Alias" in 2002.

Garner said she'd never been offered anything directly before, and it was her "Alias" castmates who encouraged her to take the role of Jenna Rink.

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