‘Peppermint’: Jennifer Garner’s Stunt Double Said She Did 98% of Her Own Stunts for the 2018 Action Film
The Jennifer Garner action flick Peppermint wasn’t exactly a hit when it came out in 2018. The movie — which stars the Alias actor as a suburban mom turned vigilante — earned a dismal 12% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and took in just $35 million at the U.S. box office. But more than two years after its release, it seems to be getting a second life on Netflix. Since arriving on the service on Dec. 1, it’s found its way into the streamer’s top 10, and as of Dec. 4, it was the most-streamed movie on Netflix.
Audiences were kinder to Peppermint than critics, giving the film a 71% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. And plenty of people who are watching the movie for the first time now may be curious about whether that’s really Garner performing her own stunts. Well, according to her long-time stunt double, it is.
Jennifer Garner did most of her own stunts in ‘Peppermint’
The now 48-year-old Garner is no stranger to action. She rose to fame playing CIA agent Sydney Bristow on Alias and also starred in the superhero movies Daredevil and Elektra. So when it came time to film Peppermint, she was prepared. But that’s not to say the work was easy.
“Jennifer worked her booty off,” Shauna Duggins told Variety in 2018. Duggins has worked as Garner’s stunt double for roughly two decades.
“Every single fight scene is her. There are some hits, and you see her face hit the ground,” Duggins said. She estimated that Garner did 98% of her own stunts for Peppermint, which was directed by Pierre Morel, who also directed Taken with Liam Neeson.
“Obviously she’s good at fights from Alias and Daredevil and Elektra and The Kingdom. [But this] was really rough and gritty,” Duggins said. “You feel her pain every time she takes a punch — you see her face feel the pain.”
Jennifer Garner only had 3 months to train for ‘Peppermint’
While Garner had experience with action movies, it had been a while since she’d signed on for a role that was so physical. Plus, the 13 Going on 30 actor had just three months to prepare to play Riley North, a woman who takes revenge after her husband and daughter are murdered, according to Entertainment Weekly. To transform herself, Garner had daily workouts including dance cardio, weight training, boxing, and even artillery sessions. Garner also worked with nutritionist Kelly LeVeque during filming, she revealed on Instagram.
“It was full-on,” Garner told the magazine of the training she did for Peppermint. “It was the greatest fun. Plus, no working mom is ever going to say to her kids, ‘Pardon me while I do my second workout,’ so the fact that it was my job allowed me to really indulge in that experience.”
Peppermint is currently streaming on Netflix.
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