Some movie scenes feel effortless on screen, but there’s often a completely different story. Similarly, for the ‘13 Going on 30‘ fans, the “Thriller” dance scene remains one of those rare sequences that still makes us nostalgic.
But you’ll be surprised to know that the scene almost didn’t happen. Years later, Jennifer Garner revealed just how close things came to falling apart, all thanks to Mark Ruffalo’s reaction during rehearsals.
Jennifer Garner On Why Mark Ruffalo Nearly Said No To ’13 Going On 30’s “Thriller” Dance
During a speech at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Jennifer Garner looked back at her time working with Ruffalo and opened up about a moment that fans never saw coming. While celebrating his career milestone, she shared how their time on ‘13 Going on 30‘ included a brief moment of doubt that could have changed the film entirely.
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She didn’t hold back on the details. Bringing up Ruffalo’s rom-com history, she mentioned Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Keira Knightley, joking about whether they had seen the same anxious side of him.
“I wonder if these esteemed ladies enjoyed Mark’s anxiety as much as I did,” Garner said. The actor added, “I wonder if he tried to drop out of their films, like he did out of ours after the first rehearsal of the ‘Thriller’ dance where Mark went from kind of shocked that we actually had to do this, to antsy, to deathly quiet, to ‘Bro, this is not for me.’”
Why Mark Ruffalo Struggled During Rehearsals
In ‘13 Going on 30‘, Garner’s Jenna Rink flips the mood of a dull party by requesting “Thriller” by Michael Jackson and pulling Ruffalo’s Matty into the choreography. The scene became one of the film’s most loved highlights.
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Behind the scenes, though, the experience felt very different, especially for Ruffalo. Garner had previously recalled how the rehearsal process turned into a struggle, mainly because she and Judy Greer already had dance experience, while Ruffalo walked in unprepared for what was coming.
She said, “We started to learn the dance. Our first rehearsal, I think it was Mark and Judy [Greer] and me, and Judy and I were both dancers growing up, and poor Mark didn’t know that. And he came in, and he hated the rehearsal process so much he almost dropped out.”
Ruffalo himself later admitted that the moment felt overwhelming. He said, “I read it and thought, ‘I can’t do this movie. I can’t get up and do that.’” He also pointed out the stark difference in how quickly Garner picked up the routine, adding that she learned the dance “in like 30 minutes” while he had to spend six hours in the dance class.
Garner also made it clear how much she values their time working together. Reflecting on their bond, she said, “To work with you, Mark, is to love you, I don’t care what anyone says,” adding that it was “a privilege” to know him.
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