Jennifer Garner shares the deeply thoughtful reason she would like to go to divinity school
Spirituality has been a big part of Garner's life.

Jennifer Garner at the 88th Oscars held on February 28, 2016.
Actress Jennifer Garner surprised Allure writer Danielle Pergament in a recent profile on the “Party Down” star. In an in-depth interview entitled “Jennifer Garner: I’m Not Good at Being Fake,” she admits that she would like to go to divinity school.
“I would have really liked being a minister,” she told Allure. “My mom thinks I still will be." That would be a big career change for the A-list actress whose life has been the subject of public scrutiny for the better part of the last 25 years.
But Garner has developed a reputation for being one of Hollywood’s “nice” celebrities, so becoming a minister might actually be a natural progression. Garner told the Allure writer that she often attends church with her three children, Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 11, the eldest of whom teaches Sunday school.
Garner says religion was always part of her Charleston, West Virginia, upbringing. "I grew up in such a lovely church in the United Methodist Church, and the minister was like the den parent," she said.
Garner gave a surprising reason she’d like to study religion—she likened it to acting.
"What I like about the study of religion, it reminds me of the study of theater—it’s really a liberal arts education,” Garner said. “You have to understand history, geography, literature. It’s art, it’s everything. I don’t know anything about Hinduism, Islam, so many other religions, and I wish I did. That feels like a sign of respect.”
She believes that by having a better understanding of religions, we get a better understanding of people.
“I think the more you engage, the more you learn about different ways that people believe and worship, the more you can sit next to anyone and be a neighbor,” she said. “There’s such value in that to me."
The actress's admission about her love for religion feels part of a growing trend among Hollywood’s most popular actors. Mark Wahlberg was adamant about Catholicism's power in his life during a February 22 (Ash Wednesday) interview on the Today show, where he appeared with a cross on his forehead.
\u201cMark Wahlberg is joining us to talk about the Catholic prayer app \u2018Hallow,\u2019 discusses fasting, opens up about why it\u2019s important for him to not deny his faith, shares why he doesn\u2019t force Catholicism onto his children, and more.\u201d— TODAY (@TODAY) 1677073808
“I don’t want to jam it down anybody’s throat, but I do not deny my faith,” Wahlberg said. That’s an even bigger sin. You know, it’s not popular in my industry, but I cannot deny my faith. It’s important for me to share that with people. But, I have friends from all walks of life and all different types of faiths and religions, so it’s important to respect and honor them as well.”
Actor Chris Pratt made headlines recently while promoting his new film, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3” for his strident remarks about people who have a problem with his faith. Pratt has received a backlash on social media over rumors that he attended a church that has been condemned for its anti-LGBTQ views.
“That’s nothing new, you know?” Pratt told Page Six. “That’s the way it is—nothing new. Two thousand years ago, they hated him too,” he added, in reference to Jesus Christ.
“If I was of this world, they would love me just like that, but as it is, I’ve chosen out of this world. That’s John 15:18 through 20,” Pratt said.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.