Jennifer Garner Says She Once Bit a Stunt Performer’s Ear During an Intense Fight Scene

Jennifer Garner is looking back on one of the most intense — and painful — moments of her career.

While promoting season two of her thriller series The Last Thing He Told Me, the actress shared a wild story from a past fight scene that literally left bite marks. At a recent press conference, Jennifer Garner revealed she reunited with stunt performer Sala Baker for a new action sequence — bringing back memories from their earlier work together on the 2007 film The Kingdom.

According to Garner, their previous fight scene was anything but gentle. The movie’s director, Peter Berg, encouraged them to push the realism as far as possible.

“He told him to try to kill me,” Garner recalled. With little choreography in place, the two were told to do whatever felt natural in a real fight. Things quickly escalated.

Garner said she ended up jumping onto Baker’s back — and then biting his ear. Hard.

“We weren’t kidding,” she said, adding that there’s even a photo showing Baker missing a small chunk of his ear.

Her co-star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was stunned and asked her to repeat the story. Garner jokingly compared the moment to Mike Tyson famously biting Evander Holyfield during their 1997 boxing match.

Despite the violent memory, Garner said working with Baker again brought the same intense energy — even years later. During the early days of filming, crew members worried about her safety and asked Baker to go easy on her.

Garner refused.

“I told them, ‘No, he’s not going to be careful, and I’m not going to be careful,’” she said, joking that she had “a score to settle.” Baker stayed on the show for the entire season, and Garner teased fans to “prepare yourselves.”

Beyond the action, Garner also talked about why audiences connect so strongly with The Last Thing He Told Me. In the series, she plays Hannah Hall, a woman who forms a bond with her stepdaughter after her husband mysteriously vanishes.

Garner described the show as an example of what she calls “competency porn” — stories where capable, intelligent adults step up and do the right thing.

“We’re hungry to see grown-ups who are smart, prepared, and have integrity,” she said, pointing to shows like The Pitt as similar examples. For Garner, Hannah is a character who plans ahead and is ready for anything — and that’s what makes her so compelling.

Season two of The Last Thing He Told Me premieres on Apple TV on February 20.