Television stars always fear being typecast in the role that made them famous. Now as Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston turns 40 on Wednesday, she is still trying to shake off the girl-next-door appeal that her role as Rachel Green in Friends cemented.
With her most recent hits Marley And Me and He is Just Not That Into You, Jennifer Aniston manages to distance herself a bit from the Rachel persona, but she will have to try harder.
She was actually asked to audition for the part of Monical Gellar, the cleanliness freak in the popular sitcom, but the part went instead to Courtney Cox. Jennifer Aniston then ended up playing Rachel, for which Cox was the original choice.
Even getting the role of Rachel was all luck for Jennifer Aniston. She was at that time involved with a show called Muddling Through and got to audition for Friends only because the other serial was shelved.
Before Friends happened, Jennifer Aniston had to work as a waitress, telemarketer selling apartments, a messenger and a receptionist.
But Friends changed all that. She won several awards for her performance and for the past decade or so Jennifer Aniston has used the platform created by the hit show to hoist herself into movies.
The fame of the TV show bordered on insanity at times. Her haircut was widely copied and she along with her co-stars could actually ask a cool $1 million for each episode. It was also on the show that she met her future husband Brad Pitt when he made a guest appearance. The two tied the knot in July 2000.
The only real notable role she played near the Friends fame era was in small independent film The Good Girl (2002). There were hopes that she would capitalise on this fame, but it was not quite so. She did, however, have an achievement of sorts.
In 2003, Forbes released their global celebrity list and their shock number one was Jennifer Aniston. This was despite the fact that she had not made much money and was not even that famous. She was also a constant subject for tabloids and celebrity magazines.
But soon her life took a turn for the worse. Though she scored hits with the comedy Along Came Polly, her personal life was coming apart. There were rumours that her husband Brad Pitt was having an affair with his Mr. And Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie. Allegations also swirled that Aniston had put her career before having children.
The couple were divorced in 2005. Pitt now has a family with Jolie, but Jennifer Aniston has dated a string of men, including co-stars, like Vincent Cassel, Vince Vaughn and more recently musician John Mayer.
Jennifer Aniston had much later tried clarifying the ugly marriage. “I’ve never in my life said I don’t want to have children. I did and I do and I will!” she was quoted as saying.
She tried being dignified with Pitt when rumours about the Jolie affair were everywhere. She had said: “I choose to believe my husband. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised by anything, but I would much rather choose to believe him.”
The actress is now on a comeback of sorts with Marley and Me and “He’s Just Not That Into You. And as she closes off another decade in her life, here’s hoping she will become the true actress.
Jennifer Aniston: Her Boyfriend’s Birthday Surprise, A John Mayer Ring?
Happy number 40 to Box Office champ and all around bikini babe an number one Hollywood cougar Jennifer Aniston. OK! Magazine has the adorable forty-year old sweetheart on the cover and they call it the perfect beginning to a new decade! Predictably, it is a supposed big chunk of ice from her beau John Mayer.
The magazine adds that “Just in time for her 40th birthday, Jennifer Aniston will get an engagement ring from her on-again, off-again beau John Mayer. OK! has all the details on the special moment, and who was on Jen’s Beverly Hills birthday soiree guest list!”
More from the OK! tease includes the blockbuster bust up of the year, bloodied, bruised and all in an upscale area of Los Angeles. The magazine will go in depth on the domestic violence drama with young lovers Chris Brown and the gorgeous Rihanna.
“What should have been a special night at the Grammys for singers and lovebirds Rihanna and Chris Brown turned into a nightmare, as Chris was booked on battery and assault charges against none other than his girlfriend.
