Jennifer Garner Says CIA Recruitment Went Up After “Alias”: 'The Sydney Effect'

The actress starred on the ABC series as Sydney Bristow – a highly skilled CIA double agent — for five seasons, from 2001 to 2006

NEED TO KNOW

• Jennifer Garner is reminiscing about her time on Alias — and the impact it had on CIA recruitment
• The actress starred on the ABC series as Sydney Bristow – a highly skilled CIA double agent — for five seasons, from 2001 to 2006
• Garner noted that “a bunch of young women signed up” for the CIA following the show

Jennifer Garner says that the rumors about CIA recruitment going up following Alias are true.

Appearing on the Friday, Feb. 20 episode of The Graham Norton Show, Garner, 53, spoke about her time on the ABC series as Sydney Bristow – a highly skilled CIA double agent constantly juggling dangerous covert missions with the need to keep her true identity hidden from friends and family.

Asked if it was true that CIA recruitment went up after the show, she said, “It did – a bunch of young women signed up – it was called the ‘Sydney Effect.’ "

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Asked about all the fight stunts required of her while filming the show, Garner said, “In every episode they asked me to do something new – it was very stunt heavy. It was wild and back in the day when nobody really cared you were doing such big stunts.”

The ABC series ran for five seasons from 2001 to 2006 and became a defining role of Garner's career. The series blended espionage, emotional drama, and action, quickly earning a loyal following.

Years after the show ended, Garner made it clear she still holds affection for her character and the world of Alias.

Appearing on The View in 2023, she responded enthusiastically to the idea of a revival. “Oh my gosh, would that be the most fun ever? That would be so fun,” she admitted.

While she expressed openness to returning, Garner emphasized that any reboot would hinge on the involvement of the show’s creator. “You know, that’s really, that's up to J.J. [Abrams],” she explained at the time. “Nobody has ever really brought it up.”

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And in April 2024, she touched on the subject again while appearing on The Ringer’s Dear Felicity podcast.

“I’m asked for a reboot literally every interview I do, when we’re gonna do it,” Garner said. 

Podcast host and Alias costar Greg Grunberg proposed a full-length feature instead of a reboot but assumed that the actress “wouldn’t do that.”

“Are you kidding? Of course I would,” the Juno star corrected. “I’d do anything J.J. would direct.”

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