JENNIFER GARNER FESTIVE SPIRIT

The Hollywood sweetheart on her new family-friendly flick, volunteering at her kids’ schools and what she’s planned for the holidays

- SALLY JAMES

Who hasn’t wondered what it would be like to go back in time? Jennifer Garner certainly has – and she already knows exactly what she’d do if she could be 17 again. “I’d go for a run and eat pizza and ice cream,” jokes the always-bubbly actress. “And then I’d eat another pizza!”

Much to her delight, Jennifer, 51, gets to play out a version of the fantasy in Family Switch, a holiday comedy that sees her and co-star Ed Helms reverse roles with their teenage kids. “It was so much fun!” she says of channelling her inner adolescent for the role – something fans first saw her do in the beloved 2004 flick 13 Going on 30. “I just love the fun of them,” she adds of body-swapping films. “I love the change up and how physical you can be when you are playing somebody so much younger than yourself.”

Here, the mom of three, who shares daughters Violet, 18, and Seraphina, 14, and son Samuel, 11, with ex-husband Ben Affleck, 51, jokes about what would happen if she traded places with her own kids for the day. Plus, she remembers her own teenage years and talks plans for the holidays.