Over 20 Years Later, Jennifer Garner and Judy Greer Are Filming Netflix’s13 Going on 30

Jennifer Garner and Judy Greer have been spotted filming scenes for Netflix’s reimagining of 13 Going on 30 — and what started as a joke about sneaking into the background of a single scene appears to have turned into something considerably more substantial.

Both actresses were photographed on set in Santa Monica, California, alongside the film’s leads Emily Bader and Logan Lerman, according to Variety. The sighting marks the first confirmed on-camera appearance of the original film’s cast in the new production — more than two decades after the beloved 2004 romantic comedy first introduced audiences to Jenna Rink and the world of Poise magazine.

Garner’s Evolving Role

Five-Star Weekend star Garner, who played Jenna Rink in the original film, is serving as executive producer on the Netflix project — a role that reflects how personally invested she is in seeing the story done right for a new generation. She had previously joked in interviews that she hoped to find a way to appear somewhere in the background, perhaps during whatever the new film’s version of the iconic “Thriller” dance sequence might be. The set photos suggest her involvement goes well beyond a cameo.

Speaking about her decision to support a reimagining of the film she is so closely associated with, Garner said she reached a point where she didn’t want the project to happen without her direct participation. After reading the script and watching Bader’s performance, she said she was fully convinced — describing it as wanting to witness someone else get to experience the same kind of magic the original brought to her, and questioning why that kind of connection with audiences couldn’t happen again.

Judy Greer Returns Too

Greer, who played Jenna’s childhood rival Lucy “Tom-Tom” Wyman in the original, was also seen on set during the Santa Monica shoot. She has been openly enthusiastic about the new film, describing it as a chance to hand the story to someone new — and made clear she would do essentially anything Garner asked of her, given that Garner is now her boss as executive producer.

Netflix has not confirmed whether either actress is reprising their original characters, and story details for the reimagining remain tightly under wraps.

The New Cast and Creative Team

Bader and Lerman lead the new film, with a supporting cast that includes Taylor Zakhar Perez, Jessica Alba, Adeline Rudolph, Taylor Ortega, Tim Meadows, and Dan Bucatinsky. The film is directed by Brett Haley, whose recent Netflix project People We Met on Vacation — which also starred Bader — was a significant success for the streamer.

The original 13 Going on 30, directed by Gary Winick and co-starring Mark Ruffalo, grossed $96 million worldwide and has since built a devoted following among Millennial audiences that has only grown stronger over the years.