Jennifer Garner's son Samuel, seven, was looking forward to starring in his school's production of Disney's Frozen as a troll, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak the play was cancelled. The 13 Going on 30 actress took to Instagram to help lift the spirits of other people in similar situations, admitting that Samuel had been upset. The kind-hearted star came up with the idea of the hashtag, "Hey Jen Look at Me," to give youngsters the spotlight to flaunt their acting skills and other talents to a virtual audience. She shared a note which read: "This time of year has so many people, from preschoolers to professionals, working their tails off to perform. And now – the games, the meets, the recitals, the productions, big and small – are shut down."
Jennifer Garner was inspired to shine a spotlight on others after her son missed his school play
The star continued: "Well, the show must go on, people! Break out your oboes, belt out your torch song, run in place I don't care. Show us what you've been working on and we will show it to the world. Use #heyjenlookatme, because I want to see." The idea went down well with Jennifer's followers, and many people have taken part in the challenge. The mother-of-three also responded to one of her fans about Samuel, writing: "There is a troll from Frozen in my house who is pretty broken up about everything."
MORE: Friends star Matthew Perry worries fans after sharing glimpse inside his house
The Hollywood star is incredibly close to her family
Jennifer is renowned for her kind heart and uses her social media platform to promote causes close to her, including charity Save the Children, for which she is an ambassador. The star is also known for her light-hearted posts, which include regular cooking videos, sweet throwback photos from her childhood, and family pictures with her lookalike siblings. While the star is careful not to share pictures of her kids, she occasionally makes reference to them, and recently admitted that they were all too old to make arts and crafts with her, but that she still enjoyed doing them on her own regardless.
READ: The real reason the Queen left Buckingham Palace for the weekend
Jennifer shares children Violet, 14, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, with her ex-husband Ben Affleck. The couple have remained on good terms since their divorce and are often pictured attending events together with their kids. The star opened up about motherhood during an annual conference, INBOUND, held by HubSpot in Boston, where she was a panellist in October. She said: "I really can't complain about my kids. They're pretty awesome. They humour me. But I have chilled out and stopped trying to be my mum."
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.