Jennifer Aniston: More Than Friends (2020) - full transcript

(dramatic music)

- I love work, I love my job.

I love to work.

I love to work when things are going great

and I love to work when
things are going crappy.

I just sort of love my work.

(upbeat music)

- [Presenter] Jennifer Aniston is one

of the biggest names in the
entertainment industry today.

Rising to fame in the 1990s
and maintaining her popularity

with fans, she is still as
relatable as the girl next door,

Rachel Green, her character
best loved by her fans.

- I was just grateful to work.

I honestly knew that to
be an actor is tough.

To be a working actor is even harder

but I was just happy working.

And I think that as I grew older,

I started to get more focused on the parts

that I wanted to play

and I just knew I wanted to break out

and do other things, you know and

this was great and I love all this

but I know that there's
more than I wanna do

and that I'm capable of.

- [Presenter] Going from unknown actress

to worldwide sensation overnight,

Jennifer Aniston influenced fashion

with her stylish outfits
and classic hair style

throughout her time on "Friends"
continuing to turn heads

over 20 years later.

Her popularity has never declined proven

by her record breaking Instagram account

and her roles in television and film

are becoming more refined as years go by.

A consistent fan favorite.

Jennifer Aniston is a
Hollywood household name

who will always be there for you.

- A little bit about myself.

Well, I was born in
Sherman Oaks, California.

Grew up in New York City,

went to the high school, performing arts.

Then I moved to California after school

and became an actress.

- [Reporter] Became an
actress of a little TV show.

- Got a little TV show.

I like dogs, I like skiing.

I like Mexican food,
I'm not a fan of flying

but I'm getting better at that.

- [Presenter] Jennifer Aniston
was born February 11th, 1969

in the Los Angeles
neighborhood of Sherman Oaks.

With her father being a popular actor

on the daytime drama
series, "Days of our Lives",

Jennifer already had high
hopes of showbiz fame.

As a child, she moved to New York City.

Despite her father's television career,

she was discouraged
from watching television

but found ways around the prohibition.

Aged six-years old,

she began attending Waldorf
School where she discovered

her love for acting.

- Everybody who watches soaps
of any kind in the States,

knows her dad, John
Aniston for that character.

So she had a really famous
dad and she had a mom

who was also an actress,
not very well known,

called Nancy Dow but
who she'd been a model.

So she was very pretty and attractive.

Jennifer has spoken
openly about her childhood

and that she never felt pretty.

Her mom actually, who she had

a very somewhat contentious relationship

with over the years.

Jennifer says, flat out told her,

you're not pretty or your nose is too big

or you're never gonna be
able to be an actress.

You're not pretty enough.

And that dynamic had a
massive impact on Jen.

I think it still does
actually kind of growing up

with a beautiful picture,
perfect mom and a dad

who's a famous actor and
feeling a little bit unsure

of what your position is.

- [Presenter] She attended
LaGuardia High School of Music,

Art and Performing Arts where she joined

the school drama society
and performed in some shows.

- Jennifer from a very early age,

had incredible comedic timing.

She's a natural in film.

She's a natural personality.

And she went to a performing
arts high school in New York

which is very famous.

It's like the school that
they made this TV show "Fame"

about, LaGuardia High School.

- [Presenter] After finishing school,

Jennifer Aniston first
worked as an actress

in off-Broadway productions.

She supported herself with part time jobs,

which included a telemarketer, waitress

and a bike messenger.

- There are some people in
Hollywood who are so gifted

at what they do and they
almost immediately find work.

Now, of course, the
fact that Jennifer's dad

is a famous actor would have
helped her to get an agent

or manager, maybe opened some
doors to get some auditions

but Jennifer managed to start
working almost straight away

after she came to Hollywood.

- [Presenter] After moving
back to Los Angeles,

Jennifer landed a role in the
1990 horror film "Leprechaun"

which was considered a major
career move at the time.

However, it has been identified now

as her most questionable
role and Jennifer herself

has expressed embarrassment over it.

She obtained her first regular
television role on "Molloy"

in 1990 and appeared in "Ferris Bueller",

a television adaptation of the 1986 film

"Ferris Bueller's Day Off".

However, both series
were quickly canceled,

leaving Jennifer questioning
her acting career.

Depressed over her four
unsuccessful television shows,

Jennifer Aniston approached
Warren Littlefield

at a Los Angeles gas station
asking for reassurance.

The head of NBC
Entertainment encouraged her

to continue acting and a few months later,

helped cast her for "Friends",

a sitcom that was set to debut
on NBC 1994/1995 fall lineup.

- It was after the movie
"Leprechaun" of course

that she auditioned for
both "Saturday Night Live"

and the show "Friends".

And she actually got the part
on "Saturday Night Live".

She was invited to be one of
the players which by the way,

is really hard to get.

I mean, you have to understand
like every comedian,

like standup comic around
the world is auditioning

for "Saturday Night Live".

And Jennifer was such a natural comedian

that she got invited to be one

of the "Saturday Night Live" players.

She's not a stand-up comic

but she just has fantastic timing.

I think a lot of people don't
give Jennifer enough credit

for the natural comic that she is.

And the fact that "Saturday
Night Live" wanted

to hire her as a comic,

says a lot about her natural
ability to make people laugh.

Of course, right when she
gets "Saturday Night Live",

she also gets invited to be on "Friends".

I think it was called
"Friends Like Us" at the time

and she had a big decision to make

but ultimately she decided
to take the role on "Friends"

and turn down "Saturday
Night Live" in hopes that

this pilot would in fact be picked up.

And we now know it's one of

the most successful TV franchises

in the history of television.

- What's really interesting
is that Jennifer Aniston

is known as a more serious actress,

as a more versatile actress

but really comedy was what she came up in

and what I think she saw
herself as originally

because when she accepted
the role of Rachel Green

in "Friends", she also
had been offered a slot

on "Saturday Night Live" so
comedy and being that kind

of person and play all
different kinds of roles.

Even though now I think people are like,

look at this wide array
of, spectrum she can play.

I think that was part of
the DNA of who she was

from a very early time.

- [Presenter] "Friends"
was extremely successful.

And Jennifer Aniston,
along with her co-stars,

gained worldwide recognition
among television viewers.

Her character, Rachel
Green, was widely popular

and was later recognized as one

of the greatest female characters
in American television.

- When Jennifer first read for "Friends",

they wanted her to read for Monica Geller

which is interesting
because they wanted Courtney

to be the part of Rachel Greene.

Both actresses looked at
that and said, actually,

I'm more that person than the other.

Courtney Cox was the big star

when "Friends" was commissioned.

She was gonna be the
star and they wanted her

to be Rachel Green.

But when Courtney read
the script, she said,

actually I'm much more like Monica Geller.

I am the kind of type A,
obsessive, compulsive, neat person.

I'm not Rachel Green.

Jennifer Aniston was the
perfect Rachel Green.

And so with her comic timing,

the way she looked, kind of
this all American, every girl,

individual, it just worked magic.

- Surprise!
(audience laughing)

- What?
- Don't get mad

'cause look, this is what happened.

So, I started packing and then
I realized, what am I doing?

I am lousy at packing, right?

But you love packing.

So as a gift to you on
our last night, ta-daa.

(audience laughing)

- I'll be coordinator.

I'm so sorry, I didn't get you anything.

- [Presenter] The role
also got her nominated

for two Golden Globe awards

and won in 2003 as best
actress, television series,

musical or comedy.

- Jennifer has talked
about in her childhood,

not feeling pretty enough.

And of course she is beautiful.

However, it was the fact that
she wasn't supermodel looking

that made Rachel Green so
lovable and believable.

If you think about it,

if Rachel Green had looked
like Gisele Bundchen,

the character just wouldn't
have been believable

or funny or real.

The fact that Rachel Green
looked like a really pretty girl

that maybe works in your
office is part of what gave her

that kind of magic X-factor.

Jennifer's long time collaborator,

Chris McMillan, has been
her hairdresser ever since

she first stepped foot on
the soundstage for "Friends".

Chris McMillan and she have
developed a lifetime friendship

but it was he who initially
came up with the Rachel-haircut.

Now Jennifer has made
no secret of the fact

that she hated that haircut.

She has said, I thought
it was the ugliest haircut

I've ever seen.

So she never loved the hair

but of course the rest of the
world fell in love with it.

- You feel beautiful, you feel sexy,

you feel alive and then you feel screwed

because no one has the
ability to actually do

what Chris did to this haircut.

And I've used to call it the Rachael years

when I got that haircut, that was like,

wow, this is amazing.

And then I was totally left
with this like Greek frizzy mop

on my head 'cause I had no
idea how to do what he did.

No one seems to know how
to do what Chris does.

- I think every woman
wanted to be Rachel Green.

And what I mean by that she
worked for a fashion label.

She had a cute, fun boyfriend,

just her storyline was so appealing.

And I think that made the haircut
an aspirational thing that

any girl could go and get.

[Presenter] The show itself,
won many awards whilst

on the air proving it was a success

with audiences and critics alike.

- There's a new script every
week so that's fresh and yeah.

- And it's always good so

if the writing is always
exciting and interesting and fun,

then the work will be

and we all have such a good time together

that we just have a blast.

- Yeah, we help each
other to come up with,

David is very good at that, by the way,

just helping us come up with
interesting choices with props

or just other choices.

- We also get a certain amount
of time off in the year,

about four months so when
we do come back in the fall,

it's almost like coming
back to school and kind

of that reunion always recharges us.

- [Reporter] Yeah, yeah, great, great.

- Yes, yes for the last time,

we are all actually
good friends, thank you.

Very good.

- [Presenter] According
to the Guinness Book

of World Records, Jennifer,
along with her female co-stars,

Courtney Cox and Lisa Kudrow became

the highest paid television
actress of all time

with her $1 million-per-episode paycheck

for the final season of "Friends".

The cast also made headlines
for their solidarity

to one another regarding their paychecks.

Long before Hollywood had
tackled the gender pay gap,

the cast had all agreed,
they should be paid the same

and allegedly refused to work

until they all earned an equal salary.

- They were all close.

And I think it was that close knit,

genuine friendships that
played out so well on screen.

And of course we saw
this was the first cast

to negotiate together so that
they all had the same salary.

It was actually Courtney Cox,

who did the rest of them a favor

because she had the biggest salary.

She was the big star going into this

but it was David Schwimmer
who actually said,

look, let's do this as a team.

And then they'll have
to pay us all the same.

And they did and they did
that all the way through

and they even all agreed
if one left the show,

they would all leave and they did.

And they followed through with that.

They had a genuinely mutual friendship

and respect for each other.

- We're friends, I mean
we're six different people

that seem to gel pretty
well and we'd get together

and watch a show together
on Thursday nights.

And I don't know,

it just worked from the
second we met each other.

We're really lucky that's
all I can say about that.

- [Presenter] Her character's relationship

with Ross Geller portrayed
by David Schwimmer

in the show was widely
popular among audiences.

And the couple was frequently voted

as television's favorite
couple in polls and magazines.

The constant ups and
downs between characters,

Ross and Rachel kept
audiences on their toes,

including the relationship break they took

which is one of the most
infamous scenes from the show

which fans still quote to this day.

- There were so many things in "Friends"

that became cultural
phenomenons like, you know,

we were on a break.

Everybody knows exactly
what that's referring to.

It was more than a TV show.

It was iconic.

- [Ross] We were on a break.

(audience laughing)

- Coffee house?
- You bet.

- And for the record, it took two people

to break up this relationship.

- Yeah, you and that
girl from the copy place

which yesterday you took
full responsibility for.

- I didn't know what I was
taking responsibility for, okay.

I didn't finish the whole letter.

- What?
- I fell asleep.

- You fell asleep?
(audience laughing)

- It was 5:30 in the morning.

- Rachel has grown up really
beautifully and you know,

should they've rounded her
out and given her a lot

of interesting life experiences.

And given me a lot of fun stuff to play,

especially with the
pregnancy and all of that.

I mean, you know, that's kind of,

I don't know when we'll ever
really be done with each other.

It's gonna be a hard moment
whenever it does happen.

But this do I dare say truly,
I think is the last one.

- [Presenter] The show concluded in 2004,

after 10 years however,

fans are still obsessed with the sitcom

which is still watched
regularly by viewers,

- Courtney and Jen have both
said that they're surprised

and delighted at how well
the show stands up now.

The fact that it's
still so popular amongst

a whole different generation
who all have mobiles

and have all kinds of
things about their lives

that look really different to
how it looked at Central Perk.

Life doesn't work like that anymore.

No one would ever sit around
a coffee shop without being

on their phone ever, but
the show still resonates.

Those things are still funny.

The things are still true.

- [Presenter] The cast are
also still close friends

and keep in regular contact

particularly Jennifer and Courtney Cox.

Calling her her best friend,
Jennifer is the godmother

of Courtney's daughter, Coco.

Jennifer has stated that
Courtney has been there

for her through the many
ups and downs in her life.

And she has slept in her guest
room for weeks at a time.

- It's no secret that Jennifer
Aniston and Courtney Cox

are best friends and they became
so on the set of "Friends".

They used to eat lunch
together every single day.

And Courtney is like a sister to her.

Jen never had a sister and
Courtney Cox is the sister

she never had.

- [Presenter] 1998 marked the beginning

of Jennifer's famous relationship

with Hollywood legend, Brad Pitt.

The pair were introduced
to each other in 1998

and went on their very first date after

it was arranged by their managers.

- Jennifer had met Brad, I guess,

as Hollywood people meet each other

at an earlier stage before
they started dating.

He was dating Gwenyth Paltrow at the time

and she said,

I just thought he was this really cool guy

from Missouri, seemed like a real guy.

They were later set up
following his breakup

with Gwenyth Paltrow and she
was single by their managers.

And Jennifer said later that
she knew following that date,

that this was gonna be

like a really significant relationship.

Apparently the date,

according to her was just
really easy and really fun.

You can see why Jennifer and
Brad immediately clicked.

They're both really down to earth,

funny people who are real people.

They're not sort of massively caught up

in the Hollywood lifestyle.

- It was a massive deal when
Brad and Jennifer got together.

Now Jen had already been
dating various celebrities

and actors and also musicians.

She was famously was Adam Duritz

from the Counting Crows in 1995.

So stating other celebrities was not new

for Jennifer Aniston however,

Brad Pitt was on a career, just trajectory

that was going up, up, up, up, up.

He'd already been of course
in "Thelma and Louise"

which had made him a household name

and movies like "Fight
Club" were coming out

around the same time.

So he wasn't A-lister.

Jen was an A-lister of course,

for being in "Friends"

where she was commanding
$1 million per episode.

So the two of them together,

you have like the most powerful sex symbol

from the movie industry
with the most popular woman

from television together,

it was like the ultimate power couple.

After they were together,

you just could not go anywhere
without seeing their faces

from everything from
"People", "National Esquire",

every single gossip show.

It was just Jennifer Aniston

and Brad Pitt constantly everywhere.

And I think that there
was something people found

really appealing because she
was so much the girl next door.

- [Ashley] Jennifer and Brad became

the first modern super couple.

They were really the kind of
benchmark that we use now.

I mean, now you'll hear about
couples they're the Jennifer

and Brad of now,

they were Hollywood's golden couple.

- [Presenter] Brad eventually
proposed to Jennifer

in November, 1999 and the pair wed

in a Malibu celebration in July, 2000.

Surrounded by 200 guests
and 50,000 flowers.

Throughout the filming of "Friends",

Jennifer Aniston had still been
making frequent appearances

in various films.

The first of her biggest
box office roles was

in "Bruce Almighty", starring
alongside Jim Carrey in 2003.

During an interview in 2004,

Jennifer confirmed her
plans to start a family

with her husband, Brad Pitt,

just months before he started
filming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"

alongside co-star Angelina Jolie.

- It was very strange to be
reporting on Brad and Jen

when Brad was filming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"

with Angelina Jolie.

Angelina Jolie had a reputation as

this kind of home wrecker.

So when Brad started
working with Angelina,

everybody was already
kind of raising an eyebrow

and this and that.

However, Brad was,

he was seen as such a good
guy and the guy next door

and happily in love and in fact,

Jennifer Aniston herself said that,

she didn't have trepidation
about him working with Angelina.

She actually met Angelina
for the first time.

She saw her on the lot
where they made "Friends"

and Jen pulled over and said to Angelina,

I hope you guys enjoy working together.

Brad's really looking forward to it.

I hope you have so much fun.

So Jen wasn't nervous
or jealous or insecure

when he started working with Angelina,

but it certainly turned into something

that would ultimately
destroy her marriage.

- [Presenter] Rumors began
to circle around regarding

Brad and Angelina's relationship

while filming their movie together.

However Jennifer assured friends

she wasn't concerned about the
pair spending time together.

- Now, "Friends" was wrapped up

and Jen was telling different magazines,

her plans and her plans
were to go to the set

of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"
and have some time hanging

out with Brad.

Now that obviously didn't
happen because on the set

of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith",
Brad and Angelina got very,

very close and cozy.

- Angelina has said,

I would never have slept
with a married man.

My dad cheated on my mom
and I just wouldn't do

that to another woman.

But she also said,

basically they were falling in love on set

and she couldn't wait to
get to work every day.

And you know, that's
where they fell in love.

I remember watching an
interview with Angelina

after they were together.

And she said, I remember telling our kids,

this is where Mommy and Daddy fell in love

when they were making the movie.

So she herself has said that
she and Brad fell in love.

And it was certainly the
love and the relationship

that developed whether it
was sexual or just emotional.

But that relationship would
derail Brad and Jen's marriage

and put the final kind
of nail in that coffin.

- [Presenter] In early 2005,

the faithful announcement
came that Jennifer and Brad

were calling it quits.

Despite claiming they would
remain friends tensions

between Jennifer and Angelina were obvious

as it was clear that the breakdown

of their marriage had
been somewhat influenced

by Brad's close relationship
with his co-star.

Angelina Jolie would later go
on to explain in an interview

that she had fallen in love with Brad

while they were filming
"Mr. and Mrs. Smith"

and the pair ended up married in 2014.

- When Brad and Jen split up,

there was a massive
cultural shift between those

who were team Jen and team Angelina.

I mean, people actually
wore T-shirts in LA.

A lot of us felt for Jen.

If you look back at
the origins of the kind

of worlds feeling like this poor, sad Jen

which has been this storyline,

it began when Brad left Jen for Angelina.

Jennifer Aniston represents
more than just a great actress

with fantastic comedic timing.

She is the every woman
who has been cheated on

or has been betrayed or
someone left for somebody else.

And she has become the symbol.

I don't think Jen actually
wants to be the symbol

of every woman's sympathy and compassion,

but that has what's happened.

Jen has been locked in this
kind of Bermuda triangle

when it comes to the tabloids with her

and Brad and Angelina.

And Jennifer has spoken
numerous times about her desire

to stop being a part of that narrative.

However, the impact of the
Brad/Jen/Angelina triangle

was felt for decades afterwards.

- [Presenter] After headlines regarding

her failing marriage
had calmed down in 2005,

Jennifer Aniston appeared
as an alluring woman,

having an affair with
an advertising executive

in the thriller "Derailed"

and as an obituary and
wedding announcement writer

in the romantic comedy "Rumor Has It".

Both films were moderate box office hits.

She also took on the role of a
single paste-up woman working

as a maid in the independent
drama "Friends With Money"

in 2006, which received a limited release.

- I mean, for me, it was just,

I read the script and
I related to the part,

and I didn't really go
into a sort of a thought

of how does this reflect on women today.

But it just was real.

It was just a beautifully
written and delicate expression

of human beings relating to each other.

And it felt universal.

It didn't feel, I looked at my own life.

I looked at friends that I know,

you didn't even have to go that far.

It was just, you read it.

And you said, oh gosh, that's
so true and so relatable.

- [Presenter] Her next film
was the romantic comedy,

"The Breakup" in 2006
alongside Vince Vaughn

in which she starred as
one half of a couple,

having a complicated split
when both refused to move out

of the pair's recently purchased home.

- [Vince] Fine, I'll
help you do the dishes.

- [Jennifer] No, that's not what I want.

- You just said that you want
me to help you do the dishes.

- I want you to want to do the dishes.

- Why would I want to do dishes?

- I'm done?
- What?

- What happened?

- We just broke up.

- You could stay with me.

- You think I'm gonna
move out of the place

and let her keep it?

- I don't know, I'm not Colombo.

- The only logical thing
that I can think of is

for her to move out of the condo and then

to pay me some sort of a penalty.

- What, what, what, excuse me.

- [Presenter] At the
time Jennifer was dealing

with the breakdown of her
own marriage from Brad Pitt

and has notably mentioned channeling

her own personal emotions for the role.

- You always wait for
those scripts to come along

that are true and real
to life in some way.

And sometimes they're really not.

And this had really equal male and female

and it was funny and it was
real and it had a great cast

and it was just all the right ingredients.

- [Presenter] The film
received mixed reviews

but grossed approximately
$39.17 million during

its opening weekend and $204
million worldwide making it

her second biggest box office hit.

The 2005 comedy drama

"Marley And Me" with
Aniston and Owen Wilson

as the owners of the
titular dog set a record

for the largest Christmas
day box office sales ever

with $14.7 million.

It hit a total of $51.7 million
over the four day weekend

and place number one at the box office,

a position that maintained for two weeks.

- I mean, the book was like
huge sort of beloved kind

of bestseller and it was it's
just like a simple story.

And then it's like,

I guess like people just
kinda connected with sort of,

that it was very sort of relatable.

- Yeah.

- [Presenter] It was clear
that Jennifer Aniston

was becoming a popular
actress in her own right.

And breaking away from her
famous role as Rachel Green

which she is most memorable for.

(crowd cheering)

Jennifer Aniston appeared
as the former wife

of a bounty hunter played by Gerard Butler

in the romantic comedy action film,

"The Bounty Hunter" in 2010.

- Hi Milo.

- Fancy meeting you here.

- Yeah, fancy.

I don't know what you're
up to but I'm working.

- Oh working, me too.

- I heard you got kicked off the force.

- What I do is I hunt down
idiots who jumped bail.

- You are a bounty hunter?

- Yup, as much as it pains me to say this,

I got to take you to jail.

- We actually had so
much fun and just easy.

He's just so easy to get
along with, you know,

we just instantly, we're comfortable.

I've said this before,

there's nothing pretentious about him.

There's nothing, there's no
layers you have to cut through

to get down to the guy.

He's just there,

just eager and excited to
be there and wants to do

the best so that we will
sort of have that same way

of looking at work and
trying different things.

And you know, so.

- [Presenter] The film
was panned by critics,

although it was a box
office success garnering

over $130 million worldwide.

- We just had a group.

We just locked out,

we just literally had a
great group of people.

The director is fantastic,
Jerry fantastic.

Our crew, New York City was all just.

You can't go wrong.

The toughest stunt?

I would say the car, the two
cars chasing, getting shot at.

It wasn't hard, it was
just a little scary.

- [Presenter] A lukewarm
box office reception greeted

her next film, the romantic
comedy, "The Switch"

in which she starred with Jason Bateman

as a 30-something single woman who decides

to have a child using a sperm bank.

- I've never laughed harder
and you can't give away

what the switch is though.

It's really, that's half of
the thing that made me laugh

so hard 'cause how could
this actually happen?

We actually had a hard time
wrapping our heads around,

like how could this possibly happen?

It's so insane.

And when you tell, when
you get pitched the story

which is how I first heard
it from the producers

because we came on as producers as well,

my partner and I,

it's just, that's why we loved it.

It was such a unique story.

You know, it's sort of the modern family.

- [Presenter] The film received
generally mixed reviews

with review site Metacritic showing 13 out

of 30 critics delivering
a positive verdict.

In 2011, she started
opposite close friend,

Adam Sandler as an office
manager posing as the wife

of a plastic surgeon
in the romantic comedy,

"Just Go With It" and played
sexually aggressive dentist,

dr. Julia Harris in "Horrible Bosses"

which also star Jason Bateman,

Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day.

"Just Go With It" and
"Horrible Bosses" both made

over $100 million in North America

and $200 million worldwide.

Another two of Jennifer Aniston's

top grossing box office movies.

- It's so fun, I mean, it
doesn't come along very often

to be able to be crazy with
total freedom and just be

as bad as you want it to be.

- [Presenter] Her role in
"Horrible Bosses" is one

of her most favored explaining
that she loved playing

the character as the image
change was fun for her.

Jennifer Aniston appeared
in the comedy "Wanderlust"

in 2012, with Paul Rudd
who had starred alongside

her previously in "The
Object of my Affection"

and also "Friends".

- We just get up and come back to work

and be so excited to see.

It was a very happy makeup and hair

and makeup trailer, wasn't it?

- [Paul] Oh yeah.

- We were all very, very
happy, happy campers.

- [Reporter] And it had been a while since

you guys had worked together

but you guys are obviously friends

and you've remained friends.

That probably totally helped too

with the onscreen chemistry,

it was just like there.

- Yeah, totally completely.

And we've been trying to find
something to do together.

So this was pretty great.

This is a fun one to get.

- It is nice when you're
playing a married couple

and you don't have to really
create too much of it,

like a fake history or
just, we already have it.

We've known each other
for nearly 20 years so.

- I wouldn't call this a romantic
comedy at all, would you?

It's just a balls out comedy
where the relationship falls

out, literally comedy.

What do they take away?

I think you're gonna have
a big belly ache laughs

and I think there's a definite
story and theme in there

and a message.

- [Presenter] It was on
the set of "Wanderlust"

that Jennifer Aniston
developed a close relationship

with Justin Theroux.

They were frequently spotted
together after the film

before confirming their
relationship in 2011.

- Well, Jennifer and Justin
had actually met years

before they got together on
the set of "Tropic Thunder"

which Justin wrote.

And you know, in Hollywood,

most people kind of have
met at one thing or another.

So they also had mutual
friends, Robert Downey jr.

is a friend of Jennifer and Justin.

They got together when
they made a movie together

and they had real chemistry
and seem to be really great

for each other.

She had found a mature
adult successful guy

who wasn't this kind of John Mayer type.

- [Presenter] Her fans couldn't get enough

of the relationship believing

that this time Jennifer was
going to get her happy ending.

After the controversy of her
last serious relationship

with Brad Pitt, everyone just wanted

to see her happy ever after.

In 2012, Jennifer and Justin
announced their engagement.

Reuniting with Jason Sudeikis,

Jennifer played the role
of a struggling stripper

who agrees to pose as
the wife of a drug dealer

in order to help him smuggle
drugs across the border

in "We're the Millers".

- Oh, come on, relax Dorothy, Jesus.

- We're not at the border yet.

Who cares what those people think?

- It's about not drawing
attention to ourselves,

you little hobo.

- Hey, don't talk to her like that.

- Rose relax, okay.

The only thing you need
to worry about right now

is making people believe

you could actually be
someone's mother, okay.

- Are you kidding me?

No, honestly, after
doing "Horrible Bosses",

I'd kind of feel like I
opened the door for myself.

So I was just happy to be
able to have fun again.

There's something a
little bit on that side.

- [Reporter] And closing now,
are you prepared for that

'cause I know, you're very rigid
with your exercise training

and all of that, but
preparing for this role,

I mean as a dancer.

- Well that's, I had a great choreographer

who really just worked
with me day in and day out

and instilled all of the right
moves that I needed to learn.

And also recovering from
an annoying knee surgery

that I've had about a month
out month before was a bit

of a challenge but we did it.

- [Presenter] The 2013 film was hilarious

and loved by audiences worldwide.

Although the film received
mixed reviews from critics,

it did extremely well at the box office,

becoming a financial success.

2014 saw Jennifer Aniston reprise the role

of dr. Julia Harris in
"Horrible Bosses 2".

- [Reporter] A lot of you
guys have worked together

before in previous films.

So does that make it
more comfortable on set

and is it fun to reunite?

- Absolutely, 100%.

- Yes.
- We actually only really

but it is a luxury actually to be friends

with these people and love and adore them

on a personal level and then to be able

to have worked together,
separately together

and together together.

It's kind of a dream job.

- It would be terrible if we didn't

like each other, you know?

'Cause I mean, the fact
that you're doing comedy

you need to have like a nice free fun set.

Like there's like, there's
a good vibe in here.

So like the press conference is fun

like if we hated each
other, you'd feel it.

And it would just be argh.

- You've seen it, I'm sure.

You probably have better stories
about it than we do, yeah.

- I was looking forward to doing this.

- It's one of the things
that the three of us talked

about when we got on the phone together

when they first said, you know,

do you want to do a sequel?

The three of us called each other?

We talked about junketing
and we talked about traveling

and be like this right here.

This is part of the fun for us.

So yeah, it's really
rare when you find people

that you like this much and then you get

to do two movies, it's great.

- [Reporter] What did you
enjoy about revisiting

this character and playing
Dr. Julia once again?

What do you love about it the most?

What do you enjoy about it the most?

- I have to say I, well, I
just love her in general.

I think she's quite snazzy

and I love just putting on her wardrobe

and I loved her wig.

- [Reporter] The accessories?

- Her accessories which only
one person really was aware

of what my lovely necklace
really was, Mr. Jason Sudeikis.

Gives you a little insight
into his personal life.

- [Jason] I love catalogs.

- [Jennifer] For me personally,

I loved that dr. Julia was sort

of taking the role of what would normally

be a male character in a film.

- [Jason] You mean a dentist.

- [Jennifer] Yeah, you don't see a lot

of female dentists, do you?

- [Jason] I guess you don't.

- Yeah, the woman who
is obsessed with sex,

I think it's hysterical.

And I find it quite amusing
because I don't think

to her there's anything wrong
or deviant about herself.

I think she actually is
described sex and approaches sex

as though a chef
approaches a wonderful meal

to be made or you know,

I think it's kind of just
very commonplace for her

and it's sort of, it's like sport.

I think it's fantastic.

- [Presenter] The film did just as well

as its predecessor and
was a hit with audiences.

In 2014, she also starred in "Cake"

as a woman named Claire Simmons,

who struggles with chronic pain.

The film received mixed reviews.

However Jennifer's performance
was highly praised,

dub by some critics as Oscar worthy.

- I mean, I think her vulnerable spot

was just everything that
she's walking through.

I think her vulnerable spot is Adriana.

I think that's where
she kind of still feel

that fierce protector in her come out

which now where we've met her,

she's kind of just stuck
and given up on everything.

I find every, all of her moments,

even all the scenes with Sam,

I found to be quite vulnerable

and sort of just sad in a way.

There was a good amount of preparation.

I think about, I would
say about two months,

I kind of really dove in

and started just asking all
the questions and speaking

with as many people as I could and trying

to get the physicality in
place and understanding

what that physicality was gonna be in that

and making it consistent

and understanding in the
script, what was true.

Was there anything that seemed off point,

anything that's felt
like we call your bluff

'cause we really wanted
it to be as bulletproof

as possible and authentic as possible.

- [Presenter] The Toronto
International Film Festival

called her performance
heartbreakingly good.

For her portrayal,

Jennifer was nominated for several awards,

proving she could excel
in more serious roles

than she is classically known for.

August, 2015, Jennifer
Aniston married Justin Theroux

in an intimate ceremony in the backyard

of their new Bel-Air home.

Attendees included a host of celebrities,

including some of her "Friends" co-stars.

According to "Us Magazine",

the couple signed an
ironclad prenup agreement

before going on a honeymoon with friends.

Between 2015 and 2017,

Jennifer Aniston worked
on a string of films

that received average critical reviews,

such as the romantic comedy "Mother's Day"

and the war drama, "The Yellow Birds".

2017 also saw the end of her
marriage to Justin Theroux

which came as a shock to fans.

- [Ashley] Jennifer's
divorced from Justin was,

it kind of blindsided everyone

in the entertainment reporting industry.

We didn't see it coming.

In fact, I know somebody
from "Architectural Digest"

who had just finished
an interview with Jen

at her home with Justin.

And Jennifer talked about
him as if they were in love

and everything was great.

And there was no indication
from her whatsoever.

However, the person also
said that, you know,

Justin appeared to have
his own wing of the house,

his own bathroom, his own bedroom

and there were definite signs
that they might not have had

a very traditional kind of
relationship at that stage.

But we don't know for sure.

- He's very much a New Yorker, East coast.

Did not like fame in terms of
was not used to being followed

around all the time.

She on the other hand was
very, very Los Angeles,

very much a household name at that point.

And you know, very much

in the whole Hollywood
bubble kind of vibe.

So that I think that they
kind of put that aside

when they first got together.

- [Presenter] They
issued a joint statement

to the press explaining that

they had wished to keep things private

but since the gossip industry would make

up different stories,

they thought they'd
set the record straight

so their fans knew the truth.

Although the couple had
been very much in love,

they had major differences from the start

which ultimately led to their divorce.

- So while Jen was totally used to,

she may not have liked it

but she was used to being
followed around all the time

by the media, Theroux
was not used to that.

In fact, he liked to be anonymous

and he liked the anonymity that
being in New York gave him.

And I think at first he put that aside.

He put the lifestyle
that Jennifer Aniston had

to live being Jennifer Aniston,

he just accepted it because he loved her

and he wanted to believe
in their relationship.

But as time went on,

it was just omnipresent being followed

and no personal life was personal.

And that was one of the main factors

I think really wore down the marriage that

and just kind of the intrinsic differences

between East coast and
West coast in America.

And those two vibes are just so different.

So those things really drove a wedge

between the two of them.

- All of us really
thought they were happy.

So we were really surprised,
I think as a group

when that was announced, you know,

Jennifer and Justin
from the very beginning

have been adamant that there
was no one else involved.

They parted as friends,
that they're still connected

but if things were really great,

it's hard to imagine
why they would split up.

Everyone wants to know what went wrong.

And I think what's mostly
been reported is that Justin

is this kind of hipster, New Yorker

and he only wanted to live
in the Greenwich village.

And Jen is this LA California
girl who loves suntanning.

And couldn't really be cool
(indistinct) and urban enough

for Justin but honestly,

I don't believe that is true at all.

I think Jennifer who's from New
York has enough urban credit

and is enough of a city
girl to appeal to Justin.

I think it was more that,

you've got a guy who
maybe wants to be single.

In December, 2018

Jennifer worked as an
executive producer and starred

in the Netflix film "Dumplin",

a coming-of-age comedy film based off

of the young adult novel of the same name.

- Most people call me
Will except for my mom.

Who calls me
- Dumplin, I can't be late.

This cannot exactly drive itself.

Being a bit of a celebrity
around here meant

that she was too busy for me.

You've got a hole in
your left, by the way.

- What, shouldn't listen (indistinct).

- [Presenter] This was
Jennifer's first project

for the streaming platform

which was shortly followed by
more projects the same year.

Jennifer appeared in "Murder Mystery"

alongside close friend, Adam Sandler.

A comedy turned drama
about a couple framed

for murder on a luxury yacht.

- Has you ever fool around on a boat?

I just lay here and the
boat does all the work.

(woman screaming)

- [Passenger] There's been a murder.

- Should we pull it out?

- No, it's a foot long knife.

(everyone screaming)

- Will you listen to my
husband, he's a detective.

- I'll put it back.

- Don't put it back.

(everyone squirming)

- Twisted my arm, barely,
not even a little bit.

It's just, how do you say no to that?

He says, please and you say, yes.

- It was all Jen saying, we
have to do something together.

I can't be a part this long.

You're an amazing human.

I feel so sick to my stomach
when you're not near me.

So I said, I'll only make a
movie with you so you can relax.

- Jen is like, you forget
like how much of a titan

of comedy she actually is.

I think I kind of forgot about that

but it's like she's unreal.

Her whit is razor-sharp like
she can never lose a beat.

Adam can be saying something

'cause I encourage
improvisation in the moment

in all my films.

So Adam can be improving
and take it off the rails

or something and she won't
let them go off the rails.

She'll just bring them
right back with truth.

- [Presenter] This was her
second project for Netflix.

And the film was favored
by audiences being

the most watched film on
the streaming platform

in the US in 2019.

- I think just being able to see

an old throwback murder mystery.

You know, we haven't, I mean,

I loved those as a kid growing
up and it's just a real fun,

old fashion who-done-it.

You know, we were from Brooklyn and kind

of fish out of water.

And there were all sort of upper crusted,

wealthy people who all had a motive

into offing the man who was offed.

So it kind of just was part of the story.

- [Presenter] Jennifer Aniston
made her return to television

on November 1st, 2019,

producing and starring
alongside Reese Witherspoon

in the Apple TV Plus
drama, "The Morning Show".

- What's the show about?

- Well, I don't know how
to describe the show.

- No, I know.

- It's a morning news show.

- Drawing, pulling the
curtain on behind the scenes

of the morning talk shows.

- What she said.

- What I said.

- [Presenter] It is her
first main television role

since the conclusion of "Friends" in 2004.

- In terms of the workload,

it didn't feel that different,

it didn't feel like I'm going
back to television so much

'cause it was the schedule.

- Television has changed.

- Let me tell you something.

- Let me tell you sister.

- Let me tell you something,

this is not what it used to be.

It used to be a lot more,

it was a lot easier than this

or maybe we're just a
little older, but yeah.

- [Presenter] In "The
Morning Show", Jennifer stars

as Alex Levy, a veteran news
host who wakes up one day

to discover that her co-host of 15 years,

Mitch Kessler played by Steve Carell

has been fired following
allegations of sexual assault.

She is then tasked with
delivering the news to the nation

while also grappling with
what her friend has done

and renegotiating her
contract with the network.

- Our life just ended for no good reason.

- We're in the middle of an epic rebirth.

Her sell by date expired years ago.

I want you to start
grooming some new people.

- I don't fit the mold.

- What mold is that?

- Any mold really?

Your show sucks.

- Thank you.

- It's barely news.

- I want wardrobe tests,
screen tests, makeup tests.

We need a contract, where is legal?

- Ready?
- I'm ready.

- Most people wanna trust that the person

that is telling them about
the world is an honest person.

Well, a lot of stories came
out about sexual harassment

in the media and on these news programs.

And we just really wanted to address it,

whether or not corporations
knew what was happening,

whether they were covering it up.

And it's a big part of our culture now

is discovering the truth.

- And it's a bit of what a
shift has taken place since then

for the better I think and
more of course, way more to go.

I think Kerry Ehrin

our writer really just
wrote a brilliant script

and layered uncomplicated characters

and also sort of took a look
at this whole new normal

that we're all walking through in a very,

not a black and white.

She allowed the gray areas
to sort of be explored.

- [Presenter] "The Morning Show" manages

to more sensitively juggle the
mix of complicated emotions

and motivations swirling among
the men and women caught up

in this drama about ambition and abuse.

- That the cultural reckoning
about sexual harassment

in work environments that weren't safe.

And I think that's, we go right into it.

- You're pretty head-on
and unapologetically.

And also totally that was
really important to us

that it doesn't come from
a specific point of view

that it's not preachy in any
way but that it's actually,

as we're all trying to figure out

what the new playbook how do
we behave in this new normal?

What's okay, what's allowed,
what's politically correct?

- And the characters don't know either.

- No.
- They're just as confuse

as everyone in the world.

- We're all figuring it out together.

- [Presenter] Jennifer won
the Screen Actors Guild Award

for outstanding performance
by a female actor

in a drama series and was nominated

for two Golden Globe
Awards for best actress,

television series drama and
best television series drama

as the series producer.

After years of aversion to social media,

Jennifer Aniston finally joined
Instagram on October 15th,

2019, causing the app to break.

- If Instagram is truly
a reliable tool to judge,

engage how popular somebody is,

well, I think Jennifer
Aniston could just about be

the most popular person in the world.

When she joined finally on Instagram,

she basically broke it, so many people,

millions of people immediately
got on to follow her.

- It's a new terrain I'm exploring.

I know it gets fun, right?

You love it.

- Yeah, we get used to it.
- Yes.

- You do get used to it.

- I'm still navigating it.

Like I was, she was like, who is this?

- I was like, who is this?

- It's Jen.

And she was like, oh my God.

- I didn't know if she knew how to DM.

So I thought somebody
had hacked her Instagram.

So I was like, I'm gonna
report her to the Instagram.

And then she was like.

- I said, am I not
supposed to be doing this?

- I said, no, I'm just excited you DM me.

- [Presenter] For hours,

the follow button became
inoperable due to an overload

of web traffic to her account
with her first upload being

a photo of a "Friends" cast reunion.

- Oh no, no, that's what it was.

Someone said, I can't follow you.

I'm trying to follow
and I can't follow you.

Barely knew what that even meant

but yeah just happened, just a glitch.

- This is the fourth most liked photo

of all time on Instagram.

And it was just her debut post.

So people are still crazy
about Jennifer Aniston

and chopping at the bit
for a "Friends" reunion.

- [Presenter] At five
hours and 16 minutes,

she became the fastest person
to reach a million followers

on the app, setting a
Guinness World Record.

At the 2020 SAG Awards,

the internet went crazy
over a possible reunion

between Jennifer Aniston and
her ex-husband, Brad Pitt

after the pair were spotted
getting close backstage

at the ceremony.

- Well, of course we all
saw the picture of Jen

and that slinky white
dress holding hands-ish

with Brad backstage when
she won the SAG Award.

And I, like everybody
else, loved that picture.

I think for so many of us who
had lived through the breakup

with Brad and Jen and I'd
actually met them as a couple

and they were so in love that
I really was rooting for this.

You know, they're both single.

They both, she'd just
been divorced from Justin.

And he was going through
like the absolute breakup

from hell from Angelina which
in my opinion, was karma.

- [Presenter] Brad won best
supporting actor for his role

in "Once Upon a Time in
Hollywood" and Jennifer took home

an award for her performance
in "The Morning Show"

but the most exciting
part of the night happened

behind the curtains.

- What I loved about the
detail was, you know,

Brad was backstage from his
own win and Jennifer won

and they reported that
he stopped everything

and walked over to a monitor to hear

and he goes, oh wow.

And then, she's walking
past him and not seeing him

and he's called out Aniston.

And then of course there
was a photographer captured

that moment but it looks quite intimate.

He's looking at her with such love.

It was interesting too
then on Twitter after that,

somebody wrote it's clear
that he still loves her

and Courtney Cox liked the comment.

So then you're like, oh,
okay so Courtney Cox agrees

that he still loves her.

You know, maybe her friends are shipping

this relationship too.

I think a lot of us would
like to see that happen

because Brad and Jen
do seem really, really,

really well suited for each other.

And he's really been
through a horrendous divorce

with Angelina and I think
she hasn't really found

a lasting love since him
either so it would be great.

It seems like it would be a happy ending.

- [Presenter] When Jennifer
turned to walk away,

Brad reached out and grabbed her wrist

as if he wanted her to stay with him.

A photo was captured of the
pair sharing this moment

and was instantly a
viral sensation with fans

of the pair speculating
a romantic reunion.

In February, 2020 after years

of hope and speculation by fans,

it was announced that

an official "Friends"
reunion would be happening.

The unscripted reunion
will be coming to HBO Max,

giving fans exactly what
they've been yearning

for since the show stop filming in 2004.

- So in February of 2020 HBO Max

which is the station's new
premium streaming service,

announced they had landed
the "Friends" reunion.

There's been speculation for years.

Is there gonna be a movie?

Is there going to be a reunion?

Is there gonna be a new series?

Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing.

Everything's been squelched.

And then with this announcement from HBO,

just people went mad.

All the original
"Friends" cast posted this

on their social media.

Also they each got at
least $2.5 million to star

in the reunion special as well

as executive producer credits.

- [Presenter] Despite being able

to consistently watch reruns,

the demand for a reunion
has been a constant topic

that the cast questioned about regularly.

- I haven't thought about
doing, I don't know if,

do we want?

- Part of me feels like,

do people wanna see a "Friends" movie?

- [Reporter] Yes!

- Well then we better
get cooking before it's,

you know, it's elderly friends.

- [Presenter] Although
the special doesn't seem

to clarify that the
stars will be reprising

their infamous roles, it will be bringing

them all together once more to reminisce

about their time on the set
and all the great memories

they had while filming
the hit television sitcom.

(bright music)

Jennifer Aniston has stolen the hearts

of many for over 25 years.

Her relate-ability and candid
interviews make you feel

like you know her, the best
friend you share everything

with and empathize with their setbacks.

- I think Jennifer Aniston is a lot deeper

and more complicated than
people give her credit for

because she is accessible
and funny and looks

like the girl next door,

the very attractive girl next door.

I think people feel like they know her

but I think the real Jen
is a much more nuanced,

complex, intelligent person than we know.

- [Presenter] On screen and off

her authenticity becomes
relatable to fans showing

her as friendlier and more down to earth

than her peers on the red carpet.

- There is that every girl-ness about her.

She's someone that you could know.

She could have been like
you're cool or older babysitter

but then she also has that
glamor with the style.

And like it started off
with the Rachel haircut.

And these threads were just like again,

underscored over and over and over again

through the character,
through her dating Brad Pitt,

then marrying Brad Pitt and to her having

this kind of fairytale existence.

I think all those things
together have helped propel her

to be the most successful of
the whole "Friends" contingent.

- [Ashley] I really liked Jennifer Aniston

because I think the warmth

and the compassion that
we see on screen is real.

I think she genuinely is a good friend.

People, there are so many
people who genuinely love her

in an industry that's famous
for fakes and pretending.

I think she's genuinely the real deal.

- [Presenter] Jennifer
Aniston has managed to find

the perfect balance between
living in the public eye

but not being overly worried
about public perception,

a trade that has kept her
sane in such a manic industry.

Branching out to many
different genres of film,

Jennifer Aniston has proven
her skills as an actress

are extremely versatile.

Something that will keep
her in the spotlight

for years to come.

- I just knew I wanted to
break out and do other things,

you know and this was great.

And I love all this but
I know that there's more

that I wanna do and that I'm capable of.

So, you know, it's just
unfolded and I don't know

why I'm still here.

I just love going to work.

(bright music)