'I was such a baby': Jennifer Garner cried while riding scary roller coaster for Netflix's Yes Day

Actors and actresses have found themselves making sacrifices for their crafts — whether it's weight gain (or loss), a change in hairstyle, or even a change in their mental state.

But for American actress Jennifer Garner, she found herself having to sit on "one of the scariest roller coasters in the world" and she cried a lot.

Speaking to regional media over Zoom for her new Netflix film Yes Day, the 48-year-old said: "I was riding one called Twisted Colossus which is one of the scariest roller coasters in the world. It's so steep that on your way down, you [curve] in before you come out and up again. It's two trains going at the same time.

"It was so steep that I cried the whole time I was on it, I cried after the take, and then when I knew that we had to go again, I cried again. I was such a baby."

As Jennifer helped to develop and produce the film, she knew what was coming but decided to let it happen anyway.

Perhaps she was trying to be true to the spirit of the film, which as its title suggests, is all about saying 'yes' to things for a day and rolling with it.

In the film (based on a children's book of the same title), Jennifer plays Allison, a mother of three who has seemingly lost her spontaneous and adventurous side after having kids and constantly telling them 'no'.

After being called out on it by her kids, she decides to prove that she's a cool mum by giving them a 'Yes Day', where, for 24 hours, she and her husband Carlos (Edgar Ramirez) have to say 'yes' to everything their kids ask for.

Part of the itinerary was bringing their kids to the popular Six Flags amusement park where Jennifer had to ride the dreaded roller coaster.

Edgar, 43, who was also present during the virtual roundtable, added: "This movie has [fulfilled] a lot of my childhood dreams because I grew up in Venezuela knowing about a mystical place in the north of a continent called Six Flags.

"I was never able to go as a kid and I did it as an adult. At the end of the day, I got to ride all the roller coasters and I can say that the one Jennifer bravely rode was horrifying."

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Nine years of 'Yes Days'

While the concept of a 'Yes Day' may seem daunting (especially to our stricter Asian households), Jennifer revealed that she's had it for the past nine years with her kids and it's been a lot of fun. Surprisingly, their requests are not as wild as what is in the movie.

The real-life mother of three said: "What my kids really wanted was to sit in the front seat of the car, they wanted to stand on the console of the car and put their head out of the sunroof — not while I was driving, they wanted to buy lottery tickets, they wanted to stay up really late and not make their beds.

"So those were the yeses, they were much more simple than the ones in the movie. And you know what? They were just as much fun.

"We've been doing it for nine years and now, the kids really do try to embarrass me. They do my makeup, they dress me up, they send me out in public, it's just fun. I'm happy to do anything if they will all be together."

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Jennifer also pointed out parents "say 'no' to their kids more times than they can even think about" and it's so much that "they are not even aware".

Edgar agreed and recounted how he was constantly told 'no' by his mum as a kid. He said: "I remember going to the supermarket with my mum and just grabbing cookies here and there, and my mum telling me 'No, no, no'.

"So it's just about feeling a certain sense of freedom and that is a beautiful thing — to see the kids and how they glow when you tell them that for one day, you're going to tell them 'yes'."

Time is the most beautiful gift

When asked about the biggest lesson they've learnt in the making of the movie, Edgar described this movie-making process as a "transformative experience" because it is "a very personal movie for me".

He explained: "It is a celebration of our love for families and the concept of family — both the family you're born in and the family you choose to have. And when I read the script, I knew this was an amazing idea... I cannot believe I went back to my childhood... I wish there was a concept similar to this back in the 80s.

"And then the pandemic hit, and the movie, the story, and the experience just gained a whole different meaning. If there's something that this pandemic has taught all of us, it's that time and focus is the most beautiful gift you can give to anyone you love. We can't take it for granted anymore."

Edgar also revealed that he hasn't seen his family in Venezuela since the pandemic hit.

"The only thing that I wish right now is just to be in the same physical space as them and hug them and kiss them and never let them go. And I know that is the reality for millions of people around the world right now."

Yes Day will premiere on Netflix on March 12.

bryanlim@asiaone.com