Jennifer Garner knew she had to play Hannah in 'The Last Thing He Told Me'

Jennifer Garner knew long before casting began that she wanted to portray Hannah in ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the DGA theater in LA on Friday as part of Deadline's The Night Before Contenders event, Garner revealed she had read Laura Dave’s book, which the show is based on.

Garner shared that she had read Dave's book aloud to her teenager, and they had both enjoyed it so much that she had a strong desire to play the role of Hannah. She was so enthusiastic about the role that she reached out to Dave, who wrote the original novel. The book had already been acquired by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine production company.

“I just connected so much with Hannah. I loved the book so, so much,” she said. “When the role became available I did just go on a little bit of a letter writing campaign and I just talked basically about why I connected the way I did and I didn’t know if I could survive if somebody else played the role.”

Considering the suspenseful ending of the first season, Dave also suggested she’s interested in the story of Hannah and her family.

“Now whenever I’m writing I see Jen’s face, which is a very nice face to see, but it makes me feel like Hannah’s story is not done,” she said.

The Last Thing He Told Me which is notable for its all-female directing team and female-centric story follows a woman searching for her missing husband and forming a bond with her stepdaughter. The show premiered in Los Angeles, and the first two episodes are now available on Apple TV+.