This page informs you about the actresses return to the small screen with Apple TV+ Series 'The Morning Show'; which earned her multiple nominations including an Emmy and a Golden Globe, and won her the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, her personal life, and other work.
Content
1 2020 - The Comeback Kid: Jennifer's Return to Television
1.1 77th Annual Golden Globe awards
1.2 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild awards
1.3 Interview magazine - Jennifer Aniston
1.4 Los Angeles Times - Jennifer Aniston
1.5 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy awards
2 2021 - Friends: The One with the Reunion
2.1 People magazine - Friends
2.2 InStyle magazine - Jennifer Aniston
2.3 The Morning Show - Season 2 (TV Series)
2020 - The Comeback Kid: Jennifer's Return to Television
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| Jennifer at the 77th Annual Golden Globes (2020) |
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| Jennifer & Reese Witherspoon presenting Best Actor |
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| Jennifer at the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild awards (2020) |
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| Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series |
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| Interview magazine: Jennifer Aniston (2020) |
article by: Sandra Bullock
Interview magazine - 530 Vol. ?
Five hours and sixteen minutes. That's all it took for Jennifer Aniston to hit one million followers on Instagram last fall. Most people would be shell-shocked by that record-setting rush of attention. But not Aniston, who knows a thing or two about being followed. A paparazzi magnet and tabloid fixture since the mid-'90s, when she launched a thousand haircuts as Rachel Green on the generational sitcom Friends, the Emmy-winning actor, now 51, has been an object of our affection and fascination for half her life. Her made-for-Us Weekly romances aside, Aniston is one of the few actors of her era to seamlessly transition her superstardom from the small screen to the big one and back again. She brought the same pinpoint timing and breezy sarcasm that made her one of TV's highest-paid entertainers to broad comedies such as Office Space 1999, Along Came Polly 2004, and The Break-Up 2006, while recalibrating expectations with quietly devastating turns in dramas including The Good Girl 2002, and Cake 2014.
And just when we thought we had America's Sweetheart figured out, she surprised everyone by returning to television in the palace-intrigue drama The Morning Show 2019- , to play a flery anchor, alongside actress Reese Witherspoon and actor Steve Carell, grappling with age and power dynamics in the #MeToo era. And while the parallels bewtween Aniston and and her character might be tempting to draw, the truth, she tells her friend and drinking buddy actress Sandra Bullock, is stranger than tabloids.
"Hi, mama," greets Aniston to Bullock. "Hi, sweetheart," replies Bullock. "Are you in your jammies?" Aniston says, "No, I'm in jeans and a sweater and a black t-shirt. Do you feel good about that?" When asked who she is wearing Aniston replies with a laugh, "I'm wearing Rag & Bone jeans and Elder Stateman sweater." When asked if she's wearing any jewelry Aniston says, "Of course. And a James Perse t-shirt underneath the sweater." She adds, "And then Hanky Panky underwear if we want to get real specific." Bullock comments, "So I can say, 'Jen was casually chic for the interview, layered in light cottons and some cashmere, with her legs tucked up under her, as she snuggled on the couch?" Aniston makes herself comfortable. "Let me jump up and get snuggly, hold on. Yes, now you can say that." Bullock redirects the conversation. "I already said it. It's been recorded and I'm not going to repeat myself. We are trying to remember the first time we met, and you and I had completely different memories." Each tries to recall how it happened. Aniston says, "Let's journey back. I'm trying to remember the year of the Golden Globes, at that little restaurant. CAA always had that party." Bullock comments, "Yes, and we were introduced by our former boyfriend. I say 'our' because you and I both partook of this one human being." Aniston replies, "Yes, we did. That's a beautiful way of saying it." Bullock adds, "We both partook of Tate [Donovan, the actor]." Aniston agrees. "We both partook of Tate." Bullock comments, "Who was a very patient human being, given that he dated us both." Aniston replies, "He seems to have a type." Bullock comments, "Talented. Funny. Kind. Introspective. Generous." Aniston adds, "Lovers of architecture, lovers of interior design." Bullock confirms that was the first time that she met Aniston. "The second time was at our friend Lorenzo's wedding." Aniston says, "I sent you a note and you sent me a shot." Bullock admits, "I was looking for tequila, but for some reason there was just Jack Daniels. Who drinks Jack Daniels at a wedding?" Aniston replies, "And only Jack Daniels. If you're going to have a specialty liquor, you would think tequila, which is pretty much loved by the masses, would be it."
When asked what is it that allows her to stay buoyant and keep from getting discouraged when things don't go the right way Aniston replies, "First of all, that was the sweetest thing anyone has every said to me. I think it comes from growing up in a household that was destabilized and felt unsafe, watching adults being unkind to each other, and witnessing certain things about human behavior that made me think: 'I don't want to do that. I don't want to be that. I don't want to experience this feeling I'm having in my body right now. I don't want anyone else that I ever come in contact with ever to feel that.' So I guess I have my parents to thank. You can either be angry or be martyr, or you can say, 'You've got lemons? Let's make Lemonade." Bullock comments, "That's another way we can relate to each other, in that destabilizing things in life can either sink you or invigorate you to change and do better. I look at your dinner table, because you sit at the same place all the time, and you are surrounded by these extraordinary people that you've know for so long. Everyone is along for the journey, and you share. The conversation about women supporting each other and coming together is new." Bullock adds, "And in your world the action is not. Everyone sits at that table as the head of the table. Everyone has a voice. And I just get to sit back and go, 'I'm so lucky to sit here with my family and be a part of this world.' You share your wealth, the wealth of your friendship. You literally go, 'Here are my friends, they're going to love you, too. Here's my family, they're going to love you, too. Here's my home, stay as long as you want.' That's a a rare thing. A lot of people don't have that. They're afraid to share because they're afraid to lose something. You go through life as though you're not afraid to lose anything, and that's really inspiring."
Aniston says, "I feel that same way about you. Like you said, this conversation of women supporting women is new, but I think we have been doing it for a long time. When I landed in Los Angeles at 20-years old and I fell into those girls who are still sitting around the table today, they were on a different path. I'd never had a circle of women who got together and talked forever. I was like, 'God, these California people don't shut up. They talk about their feelings and cry in front of each other.' I said to myself, 'Here I am, a girl who grew up in New York City, and now I find myself in Laurel Canyon, wearing a flowery dress and someone put a crystal around my neck and is burning sage around my head. I have landed on Mars.' But I really think it was something that saved me. This is a really tough business that we're in that is not always kind or inclusive or supportive. A lot of the time, it's the opposite. I remember going to auditions and girls would never want to share anything. Or they would talk to you during your auditions to distract you when they knew you were trying to work on your stuff."
Bullock admits that she did that to her. Aniston replies, "That bone does not exist in that body of yours." With The Morning Show, so many pieces had to work together for it to be a success. And then lighting has to strike. We all strive to make good work, but sometimes they're stinkers. And we know you worked your ass off on this one. When asked how it feels to be given this second massive chapter Aniston replies, "I don't know." She thinks then adds, "D-U-N-N-O. Honestly, I think there was not attachment to a result, and I think that's a real key to success in life, to not worry about the landing, but enjoy the experience. That's what we did. We were focused on making something really great and interesting and a bit daring, and trying to be as honest as we could. But I think it's about not having an attachment to the outcome." Bullock comments, "Which is not easy." Aniston says, "It's not. I've never been that person pacing around on opening night say, 'What is the box-office?' I try to put it away when it's done. We were having a writers' meeting yesterday, and I was saying, 'I feel so proud to be party of something that people say so many nice things about.' This is so rare. I mean, for some people it's not that rare, but in my case, it's hit or miss, and that's okay. I've never had it take me down because, well, that's not gonna be the thing that takes me down." Bullock says, "You say you let it go, that you don't worry about box-office, but as a woman, we don't often get second chances. But you've maintained a career for all these years, and have arrived at a time when all of a sudden women are realizing their value at the box office."
Aniston says, "I love doing that. That came about right when The Morning Show came to a close, and I found myself going from a thousand miles an hour to zero. I was under my covers for a week going, 'What do I do with my life?' It's always been this dream of mine to have these little salons, where you find these wonderful minds to come in and speak and share the wealth. There's no point in living to be 90 when you're not thriving. If your body starts to break down then your mind breaks down, and your consciousness breaks down, and then you're of no use to the world." When asked what brings her sadness Aniston replies, "Turning on the television, listening to the news, reading the paper⏤that can make me really sad and really angry. The division that's been taking place. The complete chaos that's existing. When people show greed and bad behavior and a lack of gratitude. It's so hard to put this in an eloquent way. When you see people behaving badly and hurting other people, that makes me very angry. And abuse of animals, obviously." When asked what it is that she hasn't done yet that she's looking forward to doing Aniston replies, "It's not so much what I see myself doing, but it's more like a little screenshot in my brain, where I hear the ocean, I see the ocean, I hear laughter, I see kids running, I hear ice in a glass, I smell food being cooked. That's the joyous snapshot in my head."
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| Los Angeles Times: Jennifer Aniston (2020) |
article by: Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Times
Jennifer Aniston keeps a shoe box and a pair of gloves handy because... well, it just happened again. A bird has flown into one of the glass windows of her midcentury Bel-Air home, and Aniston is grabbing the makeshift rescue kit and heading outside. "Oh, honey. Hi, little guy. She's struggling and can't get up." There's a pause. "I'm so sorry. Can you hold on a moment?" Aniston mutes our call, returning in five minutes. "We did it, Glenn. We saved him. He might need a wing check, but I think he's gonna be OK."
The Aniston has what she calls a "Dr. Doolittle plan" for the wayward birds in her life surprises exactly no on who knows her. Just before the moment of bird distress, Aniston was peppering me with questions about exercise, hydration and mental and physical well-being. "I' love that she's interviewing you about your health regime," Kristin Hahn, Aniston's longtime friend and producing partner, says a couple of days later. "That sounds about right. If you give this woman a problem to solve, she will spend whatever time it takes to come up with a plan and tell you how to deal with it. And I mean, any kind of problem. We call her Dr. Aniston."
Aniston solved the primary problem of her own career ⏤ how to find a role that would challenge her in ways she could never expect and make the public not exactly forget that she played Rachel on "Friends", because that beloved sitcom isn't going anywhere in our lifetime, but at least showcase her talent in a way that might surprise people. Aniston's turn as network morning anchor Alex Levy on "The Morning Show", the flagship series in the Apple TV+ streaming lineup, did just that, earning Aniston the best reviews of her career, and Emmy nomination and a SAG Award in January. "That Show was 20 years of therapy wrapped into 10 episodes," says Aniston. "There were times I would read a scene and feel like a whole manhole cover was taken off my back."
"Cathartic, yes, and also interesting for me to look at how I always have tried to normalize being fine and 'everything's great, you know, this is all normal', and then there are moments when you have your private breakdown or your 'Calgon, take me away' moments," Aniston says. "To actually look at it from an actor brain observing it and acknowledging it, I had to look at it as opposed to pretending it doesn't exist." Aniston then dives into the scene in "The Morning Show's" second episode where Alex melts down in a limo on the way to an industry awards event being held in her honor. Ostensibly, the anger stems from the impracticality of the tiny purses women carry down the red carpet. But it's really about her anxiety over having to put on a happy face during a time when she'd rather be hiding under the covers. Aniston is utterly convincing in the moment, raw, empathic and, of course, funny, when she turns on a dime at the onset of tears and sobs, "Oh, Jesus, I can't cry!" because it would ruin the makeup her stylist had spent hours applying.
"There have been moments ⏤ not to that level of hysteria ⏤ but moments of 'I don't want to f-ing og here,' 'I don't want to walk out onto the carpet,' 'I don't want to be seen,' 'I don't want to be looked at and everyone's going to be talking about me and judging me' ... that's real," Aniston says. "I Just loved being able to walk into it and lean into it and not be ashamed of it, but actually just ... it was like ..." she lets out a sound of sublime satisfaction. "Ooooooooh." There were times during the series' first season when "Morning Show" showrunner Kerry Ehrin would check in and ask Aniston: "Are we pushing it? Are we taking it too far?" And Aniston would answer that: "It's never too far. Keep it coming." "I do think I glean emotional structure from people," Ehrin says, "and after spending time with her, I felt certain instincts about writing the character. And it's hard to say whether that comes from a conversation or something I saw 20 years ago that she did."
Aniston's post-COVID-19 life looks like this right now: She has a "bubble" of four families that rotate among their homes and never go outside the pod. "The kids have grown up together and know one another, so they have a good time, and it's all lovely," Aniston says. "I'm reading, watching a ton of TV, veering between things like "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and the James Baldwin-centered examination of American racism, "I Am Not Your Negro." And "Lenox Hill," the Netflix medical docuseries, because I was addicted to "Trauma: Life in the E.R." back in the day and love watching the stories of doctors and healthcare workers, particularly at this moment in time." Last summer and into the early fall, Aniston hosted a series of salons, "Jen Talks," she calls them, inviting a few dozen friends to her home to listen to people like Jessica Yellin discuss politics or Jay Shetty distill what he learned as a monk or David Sinclair offer advice on longevity. Because Aniston has her eye on the long game. And she plans on winning.
"I look at my dad, who just turned 87, and he is Greek ⏤ stubborn, fabulous, all those things from that generation ⏤ but, you know, I think they could be a little healthier. He's going to be so mad at me." Aniston pauses, laughing. But she's not stopping. "You know, my mom, c'mon, none of you guys took care of yourselves. But they didn't know any better. And now we know. So what's our excuse? It's about just knowing what you put inside your body, exercising ⏤ my father, never, ever ⏤ they didn't know you could keep your bones strong, never mind being fit and fitting into a size-whatever. I'm going to be in my 80s or 90s or maybe now even my 100s at this rate," Aniston continues, "and I don't want to wheeling around. I would like to be vibrant and thriving." And we talk more about bone density and cellular regeneration and how 90 might soon be the new 70 and about a "new level of consciousness that's getting birthed right now" and planetary alignment and how these troubling times are temporary and "this too shall pass" and then our time together is done. But not before Dr. Aniston leaves me with one last prescription: "Rich Roll podcast. David Sinclair. Longevity." It's 2 1/2 hours long. And I have a had feeling I'm going to be giving up pasta after I finish listening to it.
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| Jennifer at the 72nd Annual Emmy awards (2020) |
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| Jennifer presenting at the Emmys |
2021 - Friends: The One with the Reunion
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| People magazine: Friends Reunion (2021) |
article by: Julie Jordan
People magazine Vol. 95 - No. 22
David Schwimmer slowly enters stage 24 on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank and laughs to himself. More than 17-years has passed since he last set foot in Joey and Chandler's bachelor pad. Or walked across the hall into Monica's spacious rent-controlled apartment. Or plopped down on the thrift-store-find orange couch that was always reserved for a close knit group of friends at Central Perk coffee shop. The actor, 54, is taken aback by the sight of the meticulously re-created sets in front of him. "Wow. This is beautiful," he says softly. One by one his five former costars arrive at the soundstage and join Schwimmer, overcome by their emotions. Lisa Kudrow, 57, makes a beeline to bug Schwimmer before taking it all in. Moments behind them, Jennifer Aniston, 52, has already started crying. "It's amazing... Holycrap," she says. "All right, well, where's the tissue box?" Matt Leblanc, 53, helps Courteney Cox, 56, wipe away her tears as well. The last to come through the door, Matthew Perry, 51, wanders over. "Could you be any later?" Aniston teases. Any momentary awkwardness⏤more a nonverbal recognition of too much time gone by⏤quickly dissipates as the six actors fall back into familiar rhythms. "This is incredible," says Schwimmer; looking around. "Yeah," adds Cox. "It really is."
When Friends premiered in 1994, the premise was simple: a sitcom about a group of twentysomethings finding their way in the world together. By the time the series ended 10 season later, it was one of television's highest-rated shows of all time. Who could resist watching the buildup of Ross and Rachel's first kiss or singing along to Phoebe's "Smell Cat"? Famous lines from "How you doin'?" and "We were one a break!" to "Moo point" and "Pivot!" have become a vernacular for generations of fans how have continued to fall for the sextet as the show aired in syndication and on streaming services. "All of us working together was like lightning in a bottle," says Cox. "It's so rare to have that kind of writing and that kind of chemistry between six people." For the castmates, who had all been only once since the finale (at a 2019 dinner at Cox's house), reuniting for two days to film Friends The Reunion⏤a nonscripted celebration of the NBC series premiering on HBOMax on May 27⏤was more than a year in the making. For fans around the world, waiting to see their favorite fictional friends back together again was like being on, well, the longest break ever. The actors have gone on to have their own distinctive careers⏤as well as marriages, divorces and children⏤but through it all they've remained bonded. "It's funny. When we do get together, it's like no time has passed, "LeBlanc says. "We pick up right where we left off."
The six stars sat down with People magazine from the reunion set to talk about memories of the beloved show, their friendships now and how they know (that we know that they know) the moments they created were magic. When asked what went through their minds when all six of you were first on-set together again for this reunion Aniston says, "Oh, God, how are we going to get through this alive without just crying our faces off?" Kudrow says, "Yeah. Emotional." LeBlanc says, "It was kind of melancholy, I guess right?" Cox says, "When I walked into the soundstage, I was flooded with 10-years of irreplaceable memories." When asked between now and when the finale aired, when would you say you were most grateful to be friends with one another Aniston says, "Every day since. It's still, to me, one of the greatest jobs I've ever had." Cox says, "We ate lunch together every day, the three [women]. So that made it great. We never went off on our separate ways. We always wanted to hang, and that made 10-years incredible. I mean, we're so grateful, and these friendships right here have remained just as close and supportive." Aniston says, "Yeah, it goes so beyond the work and what the show was, which was, in and of itself, just a spectacular phenomenon, but the friendships and family that came out of its just⏤you can't put words to that, really. It's priceless." Cox says, "It's really easy. And it's really open." Aniston adds, "Family. It's like a family. I don't have sisters. It's what I would assume sisters are like." Kudrow says, "Yeah. And I know that I can text or call, and I feel like we can pick up right where we left off, and no time's passed. We're connected no matter what." Aniston says, "No matter what, till death do us part."
Matthew Perry says, "For [the guys, the chemistry] was just goofy; stupid, lame, funny." LeBlanc says, "Like siblings; I would say. Very supportive." Perry jokes, "And very, very, very sexual." David Schwimmer says, "Over the years we've all struggled with different obstacles and challenges. And I think in those times it's been nice to be able to reach out and touch base and have a call. And, I mean, I'm speaking for myself, because I'm the only who doesn't live in California. I live in New York. So that's been nice. We've only been together once, I believe, in the same room until yesterday. We've seen each other, like one or two people, or I know the girls get together often, but yeah, the whole cast hasn't been together in quite some time. So it's been really lovely." LeBlanc says, "I think everybody sort of has a relationship like that in their life: You know that when you have a conversation with that person, it's really heartfelt, it's honest, it's open. You know that there's no ulterior motive. They're significant relationships." When asked how the show has changed their lives Perry replies, "It changed my life in every way. I got the show when I was a 24-year-old man; the show ended when I was 34. It formed my life. And it was the time of my life." Schwimmer says, "For any struggling actor, which we all were, I mean, let's face it⏤financial security is what you dream of, right? For the first seven years of trying to be and actor, I was also waiting tables⏤and everyone had their other jobs. So [10 seasons] was a huge gift and a relief. But on top of that, this cast in these roles and the collaborative spirit that the writers kind of invited, where we all were playing at the same level, I think was just a dream come true for all of us. And I think we all realized it really early on. We thought, 'Holy crap, not only is this casting just perfect, but we all get along.' There's not one person who the other five were like... I think? [Laughs] Unless I was it."
LeBlanc says, [Whipsers] "This is awkward." When asked if any of them took any mementos when the show wrapped Aniston says, "A dress that Monica wore. I went into her line of clothes, and I pulled it out, and I still have it and wear it to this day. It has a tiny little flowers with a black lace V-neck and little cap sleeve with a little slight ruffle on black lace." Kudrow says, "I have Phoebe's rings." Cox says, "I'm not a person who collects things. And then I regret. I'm actually going to steal something tonight." Kudrow admits, "I still have my badge, my security badge." Aniston replies, "Wait, how did they let me on? I don't think I ever had one." Kudrow says, "Yes, you did." Perry says, "I stole the cookie jar that had the clock on it, and I gave it to Lisa. Because she at one point looked at it and thought it was a real clock." LeBlanc says, "I stole and I Love Friends license plate fame and put it on Schwimmer's car. And it took him a week to realize. Do you remember that?" Schwimmer says, "No, did you?" LeBlanc admits, "Yes, that was me." Schwimmer says, "I just stole a little Professor Geller placard from my office at the museum. That and the couch, but that's it."
When asked if each of them could write their own script for a current episode, what would their character be doing now LeBlanc says, "We don't have to do that, do we?" Perry says, "Eating, sleeping." Aniston says, "I love you. Eating, sleeping, watching things, which was what your last year was pretty much." Kudrow says, "Napping." Aniston adds, "I [Rachel] would like to have maybe started a clothing line of my own, and it's sort of a small franchise. Like a Nili Lotan. And I live in New York City on the Upper East Side." Cox says, "I always just feel like Monica would be doing something competitively with other mothers and trying to outdo them. Where it's the bake sale at school or something. I mean, she's be so annoying. She'd be at the head of the PTA or something." Kudrow adds, "And bringing snacks for the teams, which would be amazing." Aniston comments, "And they would taste the best out of every mother." Kudrow says, "I think Phoebe is living in Connecticut with Mike and their kids, and she's in charge of the arts program for the school." Aniston comments, "Oh, I like that." Kudrow adds, "And just...the advocate for her kids, because they're different like she was." Perry says, "Chandler would be a wonderful father and a wonderful comedy writer." LeBlanc says, "Joey would be...He would have opened a chain of sandwich shops." Perry jokes, "And eaten all the sandwiches." LeBlanc adds, "Meatball sandwiches."
When asked how about Ross, LeBlanc chimes in "Playing with the bones." Aniston says, "Because he's a..." Cox says, "Paleontologist." Aniston says, "Paleontologist. Yeah, that was the joke. Polonto... You're a ponyontop, ponyo, polyon... Oh, anyway." LeBlanc says, "Pullin' tologist." Schwimmer says, "Playing with bones. He [Ross] would've invested in Joey's sandwich shop and lost his savings for his kids." LeBlanc says, "Dinosaur-themed sandwich shop. Bronto burger." When asked if they could go back in time and tell their selves one thing before the first show aired, what would you say? Kudrow replies, "I wouldn't change anything." Aniston says, "Yeah. I wouldn't change a thing. Nothing to warn or be aware of." Kudrow adds, "It would be like, 'This might get scary, but don't worry⏤you've got these five people.'" Aniston comments, "That will always have your back." Perry says, "Do an 11th season." When asked why the show keeps resonating with generation after generation Perry says, "Because it was character-driven funny, not timely funny. They [the writers] didn't make timely jokes. They didn't make jokes about O.J. Simpson. They made more character-drive jokes about people⏤and people are going to come back time and time again and watch that." Schwimmer says, "Great, great writing⏤but I think this group brought some chemistry and some heart to it."
Aniston says, "The chemistry was something we've never experienced before ever, never until that point. And never really since." Kudrow says, "And the audience feels that." When asked how each would describe that chemistry Aniston replies, "Perfect." Perry says, "Magic." LeBlanc says, "Awkward. I would say awkward," Perry says, "Magic with a slice of awkwardness." Aniston adds, "With a slice of awkwardness for LeBlanc." Perry says, "It's awkwardly magic."
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| InStyle magazine: Jennifer Aniston Know What She Wants (2021) |
article by: Laura Brown
InStyle magazine
With one of Hollywood's most celebrated careers, our September cover star could rest on her laurels. But after a year of looking back, she's ambitious for a clearer, happier future. It's been 27-years since Jennifer Aniston debuted on Friends, hurtling at a speed she could not control into our pop cultural consciousness. It's ironic that, against the odds, she is one of the more anchored people you will meet. That choice was early and deliberate: Aniston's close circle of friends has remained largely consistent since she first moved from New York to Los Angeles in 1989. That said, she is not shut off, sitting in complacency behind her security gates in L.A. hills. Aniston spent the pandemic both in review (of the rituals of her life, what could stay and what needed to go) and in action (filming the second season of The Morning Show, which premieres September 17, 2021 under demanding COVID protocols.) She remains an optimist, her perspective couched in quick wit, wry humor, and an evocative way of describing emotional currency:[With Friends], we created something that landed its little flag on a lot of people's hearts around the world." Whether she planned it or not, Aniston did too.
Brown congratulates Jen on InStyle's September cover, which Brown comments will make her career. She claims Aniston was desperate, and Brown finally said, "Fine, you can have the cover." Aniston says, "Please! Bring me back to life, Laura." When asked how she "net out" of the COVID pandemic Aniston says, "There was so much good and so much horror all happening at once. For me, the good was big decompression and an inventory of "What's it all about?" You and I, we like to work and be busy. Being idle is not preferable. It was important for those who were willing to let it be a reset to slowdown, take all of this in, reassess, reevaluate, and excavate. Literally cleaning out crap that we don't need." When asked if she's reset Aniston replies, "My level of anxiety has gone down by eliminating the unnecessary sort of fat in my life that I had thought was necessary. Also realizing that you can't please everybody. And what good does that do if you're just little bits of yourself? Let's try to be the full of all who we are so we can come to the table. The way the media presents us folk in this business is like we're always trotting around the world, on beaches having fun. But there are a lot of other, less obvious things that go into it."
When asked how she will approach things that make her anxious when she does press for The Morning Show Aniston explains, "I call it the dog-and-pony show ⏤ traveling to do press junkets, and carpets, the shiny-penny things. Do people really need all that? The work is what I love to do. It's the promotion of it that creates some stress in me. You get, like, a second of what it is that you're promoting, and then the rest of it is salacious crap that you somehow got wrangled into talking about. There's a big appetite for that ⏤ and listen, I get it. But if you don't give it, then they make it up." In reference to the trailer for season 2 of The Morning Show, her character, Alex, very publicly says "bye-bye" to TV and retreats to a more private life. Could you imagine doing that? Aniston admits, "Well, we all kind of did. So, yes, I can imagine it, and it would be wonderful for about three months. Then you're like, "This is good ⏤ I've rearranged and cleaned out everything: I've read; I've meditated. I feel great. Now I'd like to see a person."
When asked what was the biggest challenge filming in a pandemic Aniston says, "[As] actors, we were living in an alternate universe where COVID did not exist. I was able to walk into it pretty centered, knowing we had an incredible epidemiology team. I missed seeing my crew's faces ⏤ that was tough. I also wasn't with Reese [Witherspoon, her co-star] or the rest of the cast as often as in the first season. But the writing is incredible." When asked how confident she feels in her performance Aniston replies, "I don't konw. [Alex] was not a fun headspace to live in ⏤ I'm not that insane or neurotic or inconsistent in my moods. I'd leave the set some days not able to shake it. Then it lifts like a cloud, and it's like, "Wow. I feel lighter. The manhole cover has been taken off my back." As my acting teacher used to say, "If you allow it to be, acting is a healing craft." It's understandable wanting to be someone else for a minute and learning from it. What role are you most proud of in your career? Aniston says, "I am very proud of this role [Alex Levy]. I also love Dr. Julia in Horrible Bosses ⏤ she was just wackadoodle. And I was proud of Cake."
Brown jokes that they are on a break. Aniston jokes, "Yeah, still. It's the longest break." When asked if they all have any time together that wasn't filmed Aniston says, "We tried, but we didn't get a chance. We had endless Zooms. I had a couple of people over [that] Sunday, just with the kids and stuff. Schwimmer stopped by, so I got to meet his amazing little girl. But we really did make a commitment to each other. We were like, "That's the last time we wait that long to see each other." Brown encourages Aniston to bring a camera the next time the do that. Aniston says, "You know, Courteney and David are the directors in the group, so they can probably figure out how to set up even three cameras." In reference to Cox's Instagram Aniston says, "I know! It's like, "Did you bring a dolly [camera] to Disneyland?" You didn't join Instagram until late 2019, but now you are very deft with it. Would you ever join TikTok? Aniston says, "No. But I also said that about Instagram." When asked if she knows that she has a TikTok doppleganger who lipsynchs her Friends lines Aniston says, "A friend sent that to me ⏤ I watched it, and it freaked me out. She's not exactly like me, but all of the people who have said, "I look just like you," she was pretty close. Sometimes you say," Thanks?" And other times it's, "Wow, thank you."
When asked who has done the best impression of her Aniston admits, "Vanessa Bayer on Saturday Night Live. I remember someone saying, "Did you see the impression of you on SNL?" My first response was, "What? No, I'm not impression [-worthy]." They played it for me and [gasps], "That is not the way I sound." Then I was like, "Uh, oh. Oh, I see." Everyone said it was a compliment, but I had to really get my brain around that and tuck my little tail between by legs, thinking I'm being made fun of. That's always the gut instinct. "They're making fun of me." How does it feel to see impressions of or posts about you? Like the New Yorker cartoon about mock turtlenecks, Rachel Green's go-to. Do you ever get used to it? Aniston replies, "Oh, yes. I re-posted that. When I see those things, I think it's funny. I'm an easy laugh. I like off-color humor and self-deprecation and humanity. Dumb things I do make me laugh."
On the red carpet, you give this compelling look of faint interest. Brown recalls a memory of she and Aniston. "I remember taking a picture with you once and whispering with a clenched jaw, "I don't know how you do this." Aniston comments, "And I said, "This is how we do it. We clench jaws together, say fake nothings, and make each other laugh eventually!" When asked how she figured out her best red-carpet pose Aniston says, "It depends on your stylist, because they go, "Never do this! Always do this!" I'm like, "Well, that feels weird." I don't know how to stand on a red carpet, but you do the best you can. I also try to connect with those people holding cameras. Some of them I've known a long time, so I'll say hello. If I'm having an honest interaction with someone, it makes it easier. You know who I think masters the red carpet? J.Lo. I want to know what gives her the look like she's about to be seething. It's amazing. She's almost stuck getting made at somebody, but she's just so gorgeous. She's like, "I can't believe I'm standing here." But I don't thin she's trying; she fell out of bed that way. She's a performer."
You were in your mid-20s when Friends started. How did you build up your own mental fortress? Aniston says, "Um, spiritual Teflon. People used to call it your "spiritual armor." Once I moved to L.A. and [started] telemarketing and auditioning, that's when I built the foundation of women who surround me. I went to my first Circle ⏤ someone said we were going to what they called at the time a Goddess Circle. I was like, "Sorry, a what?" They said, "We're going to hold this thing called a sage stick and burn away dark energy." I was like, "OK, I've really landed in Los Angeles. From New York City to Laurel Canyon." It sounds woo-woo, but meeting creative women who are not all in this business was my touchstone. My social arena wasn't in this [industry]." And these women are still your closest friends. When ill winds would blow for you in the media, was it like an armadillo where they just covered you in a shell? Aniston says, "Yeah. They protect you: "Bullshit. Don't listen to that." I remember the first time a story came out ⏤ back then there were ways you could find out the source, and it was people from high school. That's when you realize people are capable of not-so-kind things. It was like, this is someone who's feeling inferior toward someone who's having success. And they handle it by trying to capitalize on some silly story [from] high school."
You could have decided, "I can't trust anyone." But you are extremely curious How did you reconcile that ⏤ especially with marriage and divorce in between ⏤ and stay open to new things? Aniston admits, "Therapy. A wonderful amount of trying to understand it. Also, being given examples of what I do now want to become, seeing people I love get lost and lose the plot. You can only help someone as much as they're willing to be helped. I believe that at the core of everyone, there is goodness. I've watched people in my life go through hardships and hold on to resentment that eats away [at them]. Forgiveness is not in their vocabulary. That's a real shame, because it's important to be able to forgive people. Certain things are unforgivable, and we can just put those in a little file. But there's room for people to grow and change."
When asked who she's enjoyed getting to know recently Aniston replies, "I met [Harvard biologist and researcher on aging] Dr. David Sinclair a few years ago. I've really loved meeting doctors and scientists, especially give what we've been living through. I'm listening to this podcast [about maximizing productivity] right now called The Time Ferriss Show. [Neuroscientist] Andrew Huberman too. I'm having a hard time sleeping, so I'm trying to understand our circadian rhythms." Are you now sleeping because you're listening to the podcast about no sleeping? Aniston admits, "Probably. As soon as the Morning Show brain shutdown, I went under the covers to recover from that. But Murder Mystery 2 [with Adam Sandler, whom Aniston has been friends with for 30-years] just got green-lit, and we start filming in the fall, so that's keeping my mind busy. I want it to be good. I want it to be different. It's always, "How do we improve?" When asked how many sleep apps she has Aniston says, "Five, maybe? I have this little device just for sleep apps and meditations, and I've been trying to go to bed earlier. It's hard. The world shuts down, the phone stops ringing, and that's when I can have "me time." I can watch a show and just sort of putter."
But then you get up and exercise every day, right? Aniston says, "I try to. I had an injury last fall and I was only able to do Pilates, which I absolutely love. But I was missing that kind of sweat when you just go for it. I'm going back to my 15-15-15, which is a 15-minute spin, elliptical, run. And then just old school: I can chase myself around a gym. I need some kind of movement, even if it's just 10-minutes a day one a trampoline." When asked what she eats when she's stressed Aniston replies, "A chip. Crunch, crunch, crunch." Just one chip? Aniston adds, "Usually. I'm good at that. I can have one M&M, one chip. I know, that's so annoying." When asked what her go-to drink is Aniston replies, "A margarita ⏤ clean, no sugar ⏤ or a dirty martini. I only have two to three drinks, tops, and I don't do exotic. When someone asks, "Would you like a cranberry-coconut-cucumber-spiced or hibiscus whatever?" No, I would not. But when I moved into my house, a few people got me tequilas of the month as housewarming gifts. I have a cellar of all kinds of spirits ⏤ you could come here and probably order anything you wanted to."
When asked besides tequila, what makes her feel your strongest Aniston replies, "Good sleep. That's when our cells are rejuvenating, right?" You really do love science. When asked if she would be a good doctor Aniston says, "I'd be a great doctor. A dermatologist, or [specializing in] wellness or genetics or holistic [medicine]. The whole thing fascinates me." Brown comments that Aniston should show up at a doctor's office somewhere like, "Don't mind me!" Aniston admits, "I've done that in my friends' delivery rooms. I've gotten down there to see what was going on, held the food. I had a front-row seat at the show; I was the first face the baby saw. The doctor said, "Excuse me, please. You're in my light." Speaking of people who need doctors, you're a notorious fan of The Bachelor. Aniston jokes, "You think they need doctors? [laughs] They all need help." When asked if she would ever guest-host now that it's up for grabs Aniston says, "God, I don't know. I think they need a psychologist or psychiatrist, not just Chris Harrison ⏤ or whoever the host is now. There should be someone they can go to and talk to." That could be you. Aniston adds, "OK, well, I'll do that. Gladly. I'll be the one picking roses in the rose garden."
When asked what she is ambitious for Aniston says, "Honestly, I have not ever been an ambitious person. [Ambition] just means happiness. I'm ambitious to be a happy, content, fulfilled human being, without regrets about things I knew I could have done and didn't do." When asked what women she thinks are badass Aniston replies, "Gloria Steinem. Diane Keaton. Oprah. Women who have lived a life ⏤ their authentic life ⏤ without apologies." When asked when was the first time she really owned her shit Aniston recalls, "Probably when I moved to California. I thought, "I love on my own. I have a car. I'm a telemarketer. And I own that shit." I was feeling kind of awesome. As you keep reaching new levels, it's important to fall off that cloud to be reminded and humbled and to get back on it. Then you have something also to strive for."
The assumption is you guys want to date each other in your "safe, sanctioned space." Aniston jokes, "Yes. We have our own little island called the Celebrity Island." Imagine if all celebrities lived on one island and you couldn't get off. Aniston says, "I mean, that would not be great. For anybody. But honestly, the best version of The Bachelor is the island ⏤ Bachelor in Paradise." Besides Bachelor shows, what is usually on your TV? Aniston says, "The news. CNN. I've really had to stop [keeping it on too much]. We all went through news fatigue, panic fatigue, during the pandemic because we were hoping one day we would wake up and hear something hopeful, and all we got was more insanity." Our worst times. We could not see the way out. Aniston comments, "No. And there's still a large group of people who are anti-vaxxers or just don't listen to the facts. It's a real shame. I've just lost a few people in my weekly routine who have refused or did not disclose [whether or not they had been vaccinated], and it was unfortunate. I feel it's your moral and professional obligation to inform, since we're not all podded up and being tested every single day. It's tricky because everyone is entitled to their own opinion ⏤ but a lot of opinions don't feel based on anything except fear or propaganda." Exactly. This whole time has been a real tell on people's capacities. But you've managed to get a lot done during your time off. Plus, your hair is even blonder now. Aniston says, "I know." She jokes, "I just sat out in sun for 1,600 days straight and this is what happened."
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| (2021) Unofficial Morning Show poster - Season 2 |
Discussing where the Morning Show story could co next, Witherspoon teased the world of possibilities that lie ahead fter the bombshell Season 1 finale. "I feel like at the end of this ten episodes, there's a whole new world order. It's chaos," she said in January 2021 at the TCA press tour. "No one knows who is in charged and what leardership means at this point. I think that's what we're exploring in the culture right now as it goes topsy turvy, what is the new normal? I'm excited that we've got a lot more to explore." In similar vein, Ehrin told The Hollywood Reporter that the upcoming is, "a lot about transition." She hinted that the show, much like workplaces that make changes following sexual misconduct case, might still experience "a lot of the same shit." She added, "So it's really just examining the transition period more but with the same themes of: What is real? And people having this desire to have control over their own lives, which the preceive as being through power." The second season is being rewriteen to include the pandemic. Mark Duplass told Deadline, "We shot two episodes before we shut down due to the pandemic, but I know that they're also rewriting, which is crazy because that's what happened in the first season. They had a whole set of scripts [then] and they rewrote everything to include the #MeToo movement, and now we've got other, larger, global phenomenon to deal with. I din't know what they're doing but I know they're writing." Morning Show director Mimi Leder confirmed the change while speaking to GoldDerby: "We're a morning show that deals with the ills of the world, racism, injustice, and all that morning show light stuff. And then you incorporate COVID, just like the morning shows did." She also told Deadline that "the writing will reflect the world we're living in."
Hasan Minhaj is joining the cast. The star of Netflix's Patriot Act will appear in Season 2 as a recurring role-Eric, "a charaismatic, rising star who joins The Morning Show team," Deadline reports. This marks Minahaj's biggest acting gig yet and his first role in drama. Before hosting the Peabody-winning Patriot Act, which was cancleed in August after two years, Minjah was correspondent on The Daily Show. "A new chapter. Can't wait for y'all to see the new season of @themorningshow!" the actor and comedian said of the news via Instagram. Greta Lee and Ruairi O'Connor are also joining the cast. Lee, who previously appeared in Russian Doll and High Maintenance, will place Steall Bak, "an ambitious leader of an online meadia company that caters to a millenial and Gen Z audience," according to Deadline. O'Connor, whose credits inclue The Spanish Princes, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, will play Ty Fitzgerald, a YouTube star. Julianna Marguiles has been cast too. Over four years after the finale of The Good Wife, star Julainna Margauiles is headed for The Morning Show. She'll play Laura Peterson, an achor on UBA News, Deadline reports. The role follows her recent appearance on Showtime's Billions. The first teaser trailer was released a month ago.
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