15 things you didn't know about '13 Going on 30'

Acting alongside Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, and Andy Serkis, "13 Going On 30" was one of Jennifer Garner's first lead roles in a film.

Here are 15 things you might not know about "13 Going On 30:"

Producers knew they wanted Garner after she won a Golden Globe.

Judy Greer and Jennifer Garner are best friends in real life.

Columbia Pictures

Onscreen frenemies Lucy (Greer) and Jenna are actually best friends in real life. Greer recently got emotional when speaking about Garner, saying in an interview with The Social , "I just really love her so much, and she is such a special person ... There's not a lot of people in the world that deserve everything that they've gotten, and all the success, and she is one of them. I'm really happy for her."

Christa B. Allen was cast as young Jenna because she looked just like Garner as a teenager.

New Line Cinema

"13 Going On 30" wasnt the only time Garner and Christa B. Allen worked together.

New Line Cinema

After connecting with Garner on "13 Going On 30," Christa B. Allen later went on to play a similar role in "Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past," as a teenage version of Garner's character.

Five of the actors in "13 Going On 30" have been in Marvel-based films.

New Line Cinema

Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis, and Brie Larson have all had roles in Marvel-based movies.

Jennifer Garner played Elektra in both 2003's "Daredevil" and 2005's "Elektra."

Mark Ruffalo plays the Incredible Hulk and has appeared in the "Avengers" franchise.

Judy Greer plays Maggie Lang in 2015's "Ant-Man," as well as in 2018's "Ant-Man And The Wasp."

The Six Chicks had some serious star power.

New Line Cinema

The "popular girls" of "13 Going On 30" refer to themselves as the Six Chicks . Of the six, two are now-famous faces. The clique included Ashley Benson of "Pretty Little Liars" fame and Academy Award winner Brie Larson.

Mark Ruffalo almost didnt take the role because of the "Thriller" scene

New Line Cinema

The now-iconic scene in the film where Jenna and Matty spontaneously nail Michael Jackson's "Thriller" dance almost didn't happen.

In an interview with Black Film Ruffalo revealed, "The dancing was horrible! I almost didn't want to do this movie. I literally read it and I'm like 'I can't do this movie. I can't get up and do those scenes'. I'm like 'white boy don't dance'. When she (Jennifer) dragged me out (onto the dance floor) she was literally dragging me out and I had hours of rehearsal with a dance coach who taught me how to do all the moves and stuff and still, when we got into actually shooting it and there were three hundred extras around, I did not want to do that scene."

Judy Greers mom got emotional when meeting the "younger" version of her daughter

SGranitz/WireImage

The first time Judy Greer's mom met Alexandra Kyle, who plays "young Lucy" in the film, she became emotional. The similarities between Kyle and a young Greer were so striking, Judy's mother said "It's like seeing my daughter again."

A deleted scene revealed Jenna had a tattoo

New Line Cinema

In a deleted scene from the movie, Matty urges Jenna to see a doctor get to the bottom of how she's feeling. At the appointment, the doctor says she can't find anything wrong with Jenna and compliments her tattoo. When the door closes, Jenna frantically searches her body to find her mysterious ink.

Judy Greer improvised many of her lines in the film

New Line Cinema

Jennifer Garner once revealed "Judy Greer without a doubt is a comic genius. She knows how to take something that looks like nothing and spin it. Talk about improvising. She always can make a line that seems funny 10x funnier."

At first, they werent even going to cast kids.

New Line Cinemas

Before the younger versions of Jenna, Matty, and Lucy were cast, the older actors were going to portray younger versions of themselves. According to Mark Ruffalo , "It was talked about for some time, but then they thought it wouldn't work so well."

The movie was shot all around New York City

New Line Cinema

The cast and crew filmed "13 Going On 30" on location in New York City. They filmed all over from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge. While filming, cast members remember hundreds of people turning up to watch them film scenes and paparazzi too. In a behind-the-scenes look at the film, Garner recalls from her filming days, "There were all these paparazzi taking pictures, it was embarrassing."

The characters costumes reflect their intentions.

Columbia Pictures

According to Susie Desanto, the film's costume designer, the clothes each character wears is representative of the character's growth. Jenna Rink's closet, for example, has a lot of pinks and soft fabrics that a 13-year-old Jenna would have picked out, while Lucy's goes the opposite way into a lot of red and black pieces.

Lucy's dark clothing reflects her cutthroat tendencies, while Jenna's reflects her return to who she used to be. Desanto explains , "Jennifer's character has a huge character arc and how she changes and realizes who she is and the costumes have to tell that story."

The biggest costume challenge was making throwback looks feel fresh.

New Line Cinema

Garner was a big Mark Ruffalo fan before they worked together.

Columbia Pictures

Garner was a big fan of working with Ruffalo on the film. In a behind the scenes feature , Garner said "Mark is an out-of-control, unbelievably amazing actor. Five years ago if you had said 'list three or four actors that you want to work with' he would be at the top of my list."

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