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All American girl
The tabloids have cast Jennifer Aniston as a limp, lonely divorcée, dependent upon public sympathy. But as Carl Bradley discovers, the truth is rather different
Image Corbis Outline
Ever since Friends’ Rachel Green launched a thousand haircuts, Jennifer Aniston has been stuck with the role of America’s sweetheart. Having played a succession of milk-and-cookies parts in romantic comedies, life seemed to be imitating art when she married Brad Pitt in 2000, and they were immediately anointed Hollywood’s Golden Couple.
Even after Pitt (allegedly) left her to set up home with Angelina Jolie in 2005, the subsequent tabloid fallout turned the divorce proceedings into a pitched battle between wholesome wife and home wrecker.
All the interest in her private life makes it easy to forget Aniston’s professional accomplishments. She’s one of the finest comic actresses of her generation, she propelled Friends into small-screen history, while her star turns in films like Bruce Almighty and The Break-Up saw them storm the box office. And with a new film – Marley & Me – out this month, and a rekindled relationship with singer John Mayer, she tells us why she’s never had it so good.
Aside from all the tabloid craziness, how are you at the moment?
I feel better than I’ve ever felt in my life. Physically, I feel the best that I’ve ever felt and I feel happier than I’ve ever felt. My career is going where I want it to go, and I’m working. I get to work with great people, I really do feel pretty fortunate.
Marley & Me is the tale of a family turned upside down by the arrival of a Labrador puppy. What touched you most about your character?
My character definitely makes plans and I think that she gets to a point where she kind of learns to throw that away, because that’s not the road that she’s going to go down. And then I think, as a result, she has that sort of realisation and coming to peace with: “This is my life, and this is a beautiful life. Not maybe what I thought it was going to look like, but it’s a beautiful life.”
Has your own life turned out to be different from what you expected?
Honestly, I’m not a planner. I’ve never been somebody who was like: “I’m going to grow up, get married and have kids.” I was always like: “Just get me out of the house. Just let me survive, and get my own apartment.” So I’ve always been an “in the moment” kind of person. I think if you keep your eye on an end point, and you’re not enjoying the journey, you miss out on things.
In Marley & Me your character doesn’t have a female friend who supports her. How important is friendship to you?
Personally, I can’t live without friendship. I depend on friends and vice versa. I think it’s a part of life and it’s what takes you through life. I don’t know? What takes you through life during hard times? Friends? Family? Yourself, more importantly?
David Frankel, the director of Marley & Me, said that you were the “baby whisperer” on the set, and that Owen was the opposite.
Well, when the baby would come into my arms, it would stop crying. But it was like: “Well, every time Owen comes around, the baby starts crying.” He would just look at him and the baby would burst out crying. It was such a strange thing.
If you had to choose between a career and a family, what would you choose for yourself in the future?
I think that I’m fortunate enough to choose not to make that choice. I think you have to be standing in that position to have an authentic answer to that question. As actors, we have the luxury of being able to say: “You know what? I’m going to take a couple of years off and do this.” And we have the luxury of our careers. Plus we also have the luxury of being able to ask for help, if we need it. So I don’t think I’ll find myself in that position.
When you met Owen, did you realise immediately that there was going to be great on-screen chemistry between the two of you?
Yeah. He’s just so down to earth and sweet and kind, and there’s an ease. there’s no pretension, there’s nothing to have to cut through. There’s just sort of, what you get is what you see – and then some!
At the screening where I saw Marley & Me, even the hard-core critics were crying. It was like a Bambi moment. What’s your Bambi moment?
Where I cried so hard like a child? Well, the first one that I can remember – and I remember it very clearly – was The Champ with Rick Schroder.
Tell us about your next movie, He’s Just Not That Into You
That movie is more of an ensemble film. I was lucky to work with Ben [Affleck]. Our story is that my character has been in a relationship for seven years, and she’s at the point where she’s really having that itch about wanting to get married. He truly doesn’t believe in marriage as an institution – and she can’t understand how that doesn’t translate into his not loving her. So that’s their sort of power struggle and their conflict, and it’s what eventually pushes them apart – but then interesting things happen. The film explores all the different troubles that people have in relationships. It’s really fun!
FR 100% américaine
Jennifer Aniston baigne dans le bonheur, et pour cause : l’actrice sort un nouveau film, Marley & Me, ce mois-ci sur nos écrans, et elle file à nouveau le parfait amour avec le chanteur John Mayer. Elle nous confie tout
“Je me sens mieux, beaucoup mieux que je ne me suis jamais sentie dans ma vie. Physiquement et moralement, je suis au top de ma forme. Ma carrière prend la direction que j’ai toujours désirée et je travaille.
Dans Marley & Me, j’interprète une jeune femme qui planifie minutieusement son existence et qui arrive au point où elle doit apprendre à se défaire de ses certitudes. Le chemin qu’elle avait imaginé n’est pas celui qui se présente à elle, ce qui est l’occasion d’une brusque prise de conscience : “Ceci est ma vie, se dit-elle, et c’est une belle vie. Peut-être pas celle que j’imaginais, mais une belle vie quand même”.
Personnellement, je ne suis pas quelqu’un qui fait des plans sur le long terme. Je suis plutôt du genre à vivre le moment présent. Si vous gardez constamment les yeux fixés sur la destination finale au point de vous empêcher d’apprécier le voyage, vous passez à côté de l’essentiel.
Il m’est impossible de vivre sans mes amis. J’ai réellement besoin d’eux et c’est réciproque.
Sincèrement, j’ai la chance de ne pas devoir choisir entre ma carrière et des enfants. En tant qu’actrice, je peux me payer le luxe de dire : “Vous savez quoi ? Je vais prendre un congé de quelques années et fonder une famille”.
Mon moment Bambi ? J’ai pleuré comme un bébé en regardant The Champ avec Rick Schroeder.
Mon prochain film, He’s Just Not That Into You, se présente plutôt sous la forme d’histoires multiples. Je suis heureuse de tourner aux côtés de Ben (Affleck). Avec beaucoup d’humour, le film met en scène des couples qui viennent illustrer l’incompréhension qui caractérise les relations hommes-femmes.
NL All American Girl
Nu deze maand haar nieuwe film Marley & Me in de zalen verschijnt en ze de liefde weer heeft gevonden in de armen van zanger John Mayer, gaat het Jennifer Aniston weer helemaal voor de wind
“Ik voel me nu beter dan ooit. Ook fysiek voel ik me in topvorm. Ik ben nog nooit zo gelukkig geweest. Mijn carrière gaat precies de juiste richting uit en ik werk!
Mijn personage in Marley & Me maakt plannen. En ik denk dat ze op een punt is aanbeland waar ze leert dat overboord te gooien, omdat dit niet de weg is die ze wil inslaan. Ze is tot het besef gekomen: “Dit is mijn leven, en het is een prachtig leven. Misschien niet zoals ik het me had voorgesteld, maar het is wel een mooi leven”.
Ik ben geen planner. Ik heb eigenlijk altijd van moment tot moment geleefd. Wanneer je je ogen op een bepaald einddoel houdt gericht en je niet van de reis geniet, dan mis je een hoop dingen.
Ik kan niet leven zonder vriendschap. Ik reken op mijn vrienden en zij op mij.
Ik heb het geluk niet te moeten kiezen tussen een carrière en een gezin. Acteurs hebben de luxe om te zeggen: “Weet je wat, ik neem een paar jaartjes vrijaf om dit of dat te gaan doen.”
Mijn Bambi-moment, toen ik huilde als een kind, was toen ik naar The Champ met Rick
Schroeder keek.
Mijn volgende film, He’s Just Not
That Into You, is meer een totaalfilm. Ik heb het geluk met Ben (Affleck) te mogen werken. Deze film verkent alle problemen die koppels ondervinden in relaties. Echt leuk!
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