Jennifer Garner marked the 25th anniversary of Alias with a new photo of former costar and ex-boyfriend Michael Vartan.
The selfie appeared in Garner’s Sept. 30 Instagram montage celebrating the ABC spy drama. Garner has one arm around Vartan, who wears glasses, a chambray shirt and a New York Mets cap.
The image offered a rare recent glimpse of the former costars together. Garner played Sydney Bristow opposite Vartan’s Michael Vaughn throughout the series, which premiered Sept. 30, 2001, and ran for five seasons.
Garner’s anniversary post went well beyond one reunion, bringing together photographs, footage and memories from the cast and creative team who remained part of her life long after the show ended in 2006.
Garner Included Victor Garber, Ron Rifkin and J.J. Abrams in the Tribute
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The montage included current and older images with Victor Garber, Ron Rifkin, Merrin Dungey and series creator J.J. Abrams.
“They were my whole world, the cast and crew, and they still are,” Garner said in the video’s voiceover. She described the group as a small circle that had remained connected across the years.
E! News noted that Garner’s post paired the reunion photographs with clips from the series and her reflections on landing a role unlike anything she had previously done.
Her caption itself was brief: “Happy 25th, Alias.” Merrin Dungey responded in the comments with a playful reference to the fights between Sydney and Francie on the series.
Playing Sydney Bristow Changed How Garner Saw Herself
Garner has said that Alias changed both the kinds of roles available to her and the confidence she carried into later work.
During a 2026 Vanity Fair career retrospective, she recalled that no one had previously thought of her as an action performer or for physically demanding roles.
Playing Sydney required years of stunt work, fight training, disguises and emotionally heavy material. Garner described the production as a kind of acting boot camp that made her more comfortable with the demands of the job.
“I walked differently after I played Sydney,” she said, adding that the character made her braver in areas of her life beyond acting.
Garner and Vartan Dated While ‘Alias’ Was Still on the Air
Garner and Vartan’s onscreen romance eventually crossed into their personal lives. They dated from 2003 to 2004 while continuing to play Sydney and Vaughn on the series.
Page Six reported that the two have remained friendly long after their breakup. Garner has occasionally acknowledged Vartan publicly without turning their past relationship into a continuing storyline.
In November 2023, she marked his birthday with an old Alias image of Sydney and Vaughn. “I can’t remember why I was Bavarian, but I do know today is your birthday,” she wrote before wishing him a good one and signing the message “S. Bristow.”
Vartan was also asked in 2018 whether there was any chance of reviving their romance. He dismissed the idea, telling E!’s Daily Pop that if a relationship had not worked once, there was a reason.
Vartan Has Kept a Much Lower Profile in Recent Years
The new photo arrives after Vartan largely stepped away from regular film and television work.
Extra noted that his most recent television role was a 2018 guest appearance on CBS’ God Friended Me. His last feature-film appearance came the previous year in the independent crime thriller Small Town Crime.
Vartan had already spoken about his changing relationship with Hollywood around that period. In a 2017 interview, he said getting older had made him less concerned with appearance and other people’s opinions than he had been earlier in his career.