Jennifer Garner is reflecting on her roots in Charleston, West Virginia, and how they continue to shape her life and work today.
Though she’s now a well-known actress living in Los Angeles, Garner says she’s grateful for having grown up in a close-knit, community-centered environment.
Speaking about her upbringing, the 53-year-old actress shared with PEOPLE, “I don’t think Charleston is especially a city, but it’s not a small town either. But it’s the country and it’s small and you are a part of your community, and you rely on your community in a way that’s harder to do in L.A.”
That sense of connection is something she still carries with her and tries to recreate, whether at home or while filming on location.
Garner, a mom of three, says she has always found value in building community wherever she goes.
“That’s something that I still take with me from growing up,” she explained.
“I look for that community, or I try to create it. When my kids were younger and came with me on location, we’d always get a library card, and get to know our neighbors or the local storekeeper.”
She’s currently starring in The Good Life, a scripted podcast series inspired by Ty Burrell’s childhood.
In it, Garner plays a mother who leaves behind her corporate career to help run a general store in a rural town, a role that feels deeply familiar given her own small-town upbringing.
The story explores how a family adjusts to life outside the city, something Garner can personally relate to.
She fondly remembers the blend of personalities in her hometown, noting, “I think in a smaller town, there is room for people to be real characters and that certainly was true in West Virginia.
The local sheriff was also in the community theater, which also starred the major heart surgeon. I had a very colorful life in my own way in that city.”
In addition to her podcast work, Garner is also involved in The Five-Star Weekend, a new series based on the Elin Hilderbrand novel about a food blogger in Nantucket, showing that her love for layered characters and meaningful storytelling remains as strong as ever.
