Jennifer Garner recently shared a surprising anecdote from the set of her 2007 film, The Kingdom, revealing that she bit a portion of a fellow actor's ear off during an intense fight scene. The actress made the revelation during a panel on February 3, 2026, while promoting the second season of her Apple TV+ series, The Last Thing He Told Me.
Garner recounted the incident, explaining that the director of The Kingdom, Peter Berg, encouraged a high level of realism during the scene. According to Garner, Berg gave minimal choreography instructions, telling her and the stunt performer, Sala Baker, to do whatever they needed to in order to survive the scene.
"Pete Berg, who was the director, told him to try to kill me," Garner said. "We did not have a lot of choreography, and he told me to do anything I could to survive. He did, and I did, and I ended up scrambling onto his back. I bit his ear, and we have a picture of him missing a chunk of ear, because we were not kidding".
The actress likened the incident to Mike Tyson's infamous 1997 boxing match, where he bit a chunk out of Evander Holyfield's ear.
Interestingly, Garner and Baker reunited nearly two decades later for a fight scene in the second season of The Last Thing He Told Me. Garner noted that the crew on the Apple TV+ series was initially concerned about the intensity of their fight, with some asking Baker to be careful with her. However, Garner brushed off their worries, stating that neither she nor Baker would hold back. "I was like, 'No, no, no, no, he's not going to be careful. I'm not going to be careful. Just back out of the way. I have a score to settle here,'" she recalled.
Garner's co-star on The Last Thing He Told Me, Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, was reportedly taken aback by the story. "Can we just go over that again? You bit a piece of his ear off?” he exclaimed, showcasing his surprise at Garner's revelation.
Garner humorously defended her actions, suggesting that she should not be underestimated. She also spoke about how rewarding it has been to portray Hannah Hall in The Last Thing He Told Me, a woman determined to protect her stepdaughter.