Jennifer Aniston knows that responding to all the stupid stories the media makes up about her is like picking a wound – it goes away faster if you leave it alone. The 39 year-old actress told Hello! Magazine that there are all sorts of ridiculous tales told about her but that she can’t refute them or the media will spin it out of control:
Does the constant focus on your private life ever become a major distraction for you?
“[Laughs] it can be frustrating because you hear so many ridiculous stories and things which are just plain lies, and you want to go on the record but you can’t because it just inflames things more. I’m so used to it now I don’t pay attention. I just live my life, focus on my work and stick to that plan. I really don’t worry about what’s written about me. It’s part of the business and you learn to move on, enjoy yourself, do some good work. I keep it simple that way.”
[From Hello! Magazine, print edition, September 23, 2008]
Aniston spoke in general terms about feeling happy and secure in her life. When we covered another interview she did with Hello! just a month ago, commenter czarina mentioned that Aniston has a “Hallmark card” way of speaking. That definitely comes through again this time:
With your work in Friends and your film career, you’ve achieved a level of success that few actors ever experience. Do you feel more secure in life because of that?
“I don’t think success has anything to do with making me secure in my life. I think my personal, emotional experiences give me the ability to be more secure with who I am. In terms of success, I’ve been very blessed… but it’s not what makes you happy. That comes from within, from your friends and from how you live your life and evolve with it.”What do you think are some of the main lessons you’ve learned about life over the past few years?
“That’s a big question… I think I’ve discovered an inner strength I always knew I had but you never know what you can endure until you go through different kinds of experiences. I found that I can deal with whatever the world throws at me, and that gives you a good feeling and perspective on life. I try to be happy and not worry too much about things. I have a good life.”
The actress also talked typecasting and people’s expectations of her post-Friends. She has plenty of films coming up, with Management and Marley and Me out later this year, He’s Just Not That Into You out next year, and at least five projects in the works with her new production company through a partnership with Universal. Aniston is not going away and she’s going to keep plugging away at it and trying different roles:
Do you feel more comfortable doing romantic comedies like this [Management]?
“I enjoy these kinds of stories but I’m not fixated on only one kind of film. Sometimes I feel it’s difficult to break out of what audiences might expect from me because I’m identified more with these kinds of films. But it’s up to me to find the right movies where I can make people accept me playing other kinds of characters.”Talking of which, you have a much more dramatic role coming up in a love story called Traveling, starring opposite Aaron Eckhart. What can you tell us about that?
“It’s the kind of film that’s very liberating for me because you can throw yourself into a completely different kind of character, drawing on different emotions and different parts of yourself.
“Even though I’m not known for doing very heavy dramatic roles, I like to be able to upset expectations.”
I enjoyed Aniston in Friends, she was easily my favorite character, but the films she’s done since have sucked. She’s really going to have to step it up if she wants to change the public’s perception of the roles she can carry. She may succeed in that through her production company.
Aniston definitely talks in platitudes, but she still sounds sincere to me – like the pep talks are as much for herself as for the public and that’s how she gets through the tough times in life. I’m a person who can read those “Chicken Soup” books with a straight face and get something out of them, though. That type of wisdom is trite for a reason.
Jennifer Aniston is shown at the Toronto Film Festival on 9/7/08. Credit: WENN
That’s the thing, this interview sounds identical to the last one and the one before that and on and on and on into an upright coma. Never anything new, never throws a bone. And this ‘Hallmark’ speak, which I believe is genuine and not put on, only confirms how dull and self-absorbed she is.
How she remains relevant and high-profile is beyond me.
Nothing wrong with consistency. If she weren’t consistent, the world at large would be pointing out that she’s such a “liar” and posting links left and right to contradict her latest comment.
She’s human – that’s why she stays in the public eye.
some people lose it no matter what you say or do. but then they can’t lose the sense they never had, so why gaf.
Side note — for all the “attention seeking” photos this woman is accused of bringing on herself, surely there’s another photo of her somewhere – something other than the same photo we’ve seen on a few of the articles about her…? Not criticizing, but it would be refreshing to see something new.
she’s done something to her face around the eye/cheek area and it really doesn’t improve her looks.
Agree, geronimo. Everything she says is so……..bland. At least schtupping John Mayer gave her a frisson of skankiness, even if it was short-lived.
Yeah, she comes off as a bit boring, but maybe she’s just figured out a way to keep herself more private (by repeating the same sentiments for the endless press she has to do for each movie)and keeping her agent and herself protected.
How would you guys handle questions like that? When people say, “hey, how’s it going?” I almost never tell the whole truth and sometimes I outright lie because it’s not appropriate to tell the whole truth. Know what I mean? If you were her, how would you handle it?
I don’t know, I think people should give her a break. When you do so many interviews what can you say that is new? Everything she says is disected and I’m sure she feels she had to be careful…we see it all the time -misquotes, “secret meanings”…bah…
Zoe has a point. I’ve been going through some crap in my life lately, but when people ask me “What’s new?” I don’t unload it. I give the standard “Oh, you know, same old, just kind of doing my thing” when in reality just about every damn thing is wrong. If I don’t even want to talk to friends about it, why would somebody like JA want to show any “sign of weakness” to the press?
I always wonder what she ever did wrong. Not many of us cn go through what she went through and come out on the other side smiling. Being ‘hallmark’ beats trying to do things for attention any day. I would rather she sticks to that than try to tell stories of past bi sexual liasons in order to get attention. She has a good business head. That is her second studio she is opening and she is doing well from all signs.
I have got much more respect fo her over the years. I guess I can now call myself her fan. Not that I will be seeing all her movies that come out, but I admire her as a person because of her integrity.
Well, for a start, she could try saying what she’s said up here without all the stomach-churning ‘inner strength, moving forward, enduring, evolving, blessed’ bollocks. That’d help. Since it’s bullshit and sits at complete odds with her man choices (and I agree, Carrie, that was the one time I thought right, interesting, real Jen alert, but no, she couldn’t cut it at the skanky-but-interesting end either.)
I can’t imagine how much it would suck to live in the spolight like that.
I agree with Geronimo. I hate all that trite warm fuzzy bullshit. (All of it, not just hers). But I think that most celebs are dull & self-absorbed
She seems to be genuine, confident and mature to me. And it’s obvious she has a great life so why would she be unhappy, she enjoys her single life and having a man in her life does not define who she is.
It would be really interesting if she *for once* actually said the things that her publicity team and Goddess Circle losers say “off the record” to the press – if she actually slammed Dark Dick for being a cheap famewhore, etc. But no, she always insulates herself from the bad stuff. If she had really learned the lessons from Hallmark sentiments, she would “man up” and be honest.
EXACTLY, kaiser, that’s exactly what I was attempting to say and what bugs me most about her. Swear a bit, have a go at a few people, rip the piss out of someone, do something, ANYTHING, but act like you’re a normal, living breathing, human being with real feelings and emotions and the courage to express them without fearing it’ll harm your career or your image.
I can guarantee if she did this, the tired old media jibes about past associations would dry up and die.
I have to disagree. I still find her emotionally immature as demonstrated by the continued hallmark-card, self-help drivel that she always spouts in her interviews. She reminds me of a friend I once knew. No matter how many self-help books she read, or spiritual disciplines she tried, she remained emotionally stunted and lost because she failed to take actions that would change her life and help her grow. Same with Aniston, she can fill her mind with all the positive-thinking ideas out there, but we see her doing and pursuing the same things time and time again.
I agree with both of you, Trace & Geronimo – although I don’t really think of her as emotionally stunted, just a really self-absorbed, petty, vindictive woman who would rather not take responsibility for her own actions and thoughts, for fear someone, somewhere might not see her as The Victim.
Apparently that’s working, Kaiser, since a huge number of people do see her as The Victim. I wish she’d just be honest. And if being so mature that she realizes that having a man does not define who she is, then why does she move constantly from one man to another? She’s no Kate Hudson on that, but she’s close.
maybe she’s just really good at keeping her true personal life personal and doesn’t need to tell the media every real thought that comes into her head (i’m looking at you J Simp and J Lo and even Angelina to some extent). I’ve been rewatching old episodes of Friends lately and as much as everyone likes to pretend now that show was lame, it stayed consistently good for nine seasons and Aniston was actually really, really great. I don’t understand all the bitterness for a women who really doesn’t put herself out there but still gets a lot of trash talked on her.
ALL actors — especially at the “celebrity” level — are self-absorbed. They thrive on attention and need to be told all the time that they’re wonderful. So JA can say until she’s blue in the face that she doesn’t “worry about” what’s written about her, but I don’t believe it for a second.
“I’m having the time of my life”
“I’ve never been happier”
“I’ve found peace within myself.
“I’ve discovered an inner strength in myself that I never knew I had” etc.,etc.,same old, same old.
People who are happy with their lives don’t go around proclaiming it to every Tom, Dick, or Harry!
She can’t act and she’s making millions off her personal pathetic life. Jeeze, is it really that simple to become a millionaire?
Kaiser – you were right! I think I was trying way too hard to be nice in my earlier post. Just when we thought we were getting a refreshing break away from any Aniston news, she is up to her old ways again with new papz photoshoot pics promoting her Smartwater and in Cabo in a too-tiny bikini. She really is one of the most annoying celebrities that won’t go away.
First, she’s not saying these things on random blogs – she’s being asked questions in interviews to promote her work and has to answer them somehow. Some people call it being fake, some call it being private, some call it taking the high road. Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe the reason she sticks to the Hallmark BS is just to deny everyone the satisfaction of exactly what you’re asking for?! Whether you like her or not, I really just think she’s trying to keep her personal and work lives separate – staying general and Hallmark-y is a great way to do that. Plus, if she were to come out with her gloves up, everyone would just call her a whiner, like they do now – she’s in a no-win situation, which makes it kind of a silly debate.
@Syko – Actually, I don’t think she does move from one man to another – I think she’s got so many issues she’s just constantly getting dumped by every guy she tries to use for her own publicity purposes. Honestly, I bet she’s been “single” more often than her publicity team would have people believe.
@Trace – At least we can look forward to *more* pics of her sunbathing doggy-style. Just like the ones from March, and last year… and the year before that…and…
i think Jen is guarded for a lot of reason, so she won’t come off as who she really is, Jen characters are all the same because that’s who she is, that’s why people say, she can’t act, its true, she does not know how to be somebody else. herself is not too interesting, she’s right, she got lucky, I’m afraid one day,she won’t be able to hide behind all the pity for her. she seeks the lime light, she better be prepare for what it reveals.
never post on her threads because she’s a famewh0re and to top it off super dull but I gotta say that she has to come up w/ new machinations because she’s so transparent. Fake relationship, check; exposing her privates to the world to see if she lands a role other than crappy stuff, check; proclaiming how much inner strength she has but deep down being an insecure mess, check — she makes me vomit and I won’t subject myself to anymore of this pathetic coattail rider has been.
“never post on her threads because she’s a famewh0re and to top it off super dull” – “she makes me vomit and I won’t subject myself to anymore of this pathetic coattail rider has been”
***Then why did you?***
JA lies through her teeth. She picks and chooses the rumours she responds to.
What does she call calling into the Oprah show to deny she was getting married to Vince?
she’s right, she does not respond to the rumours, she gets her lackeys and friends to do it.
By the way, how come CB has not reported on the fact that her movie Management did not find a distributor at TIFF?
i love this woman!
She’s the luckiest homely face celebrity in HW .. she should thank her lucky star she got married to Brad Pitt because if she didn’t she just fade into oblivion just like her other co-stars after “FRIENDS”.
hmm… random person hiding behind a keyboard calling this celebrity (and others, apparently) homely. Post your picture, let’s see homely.
I’ve always been a Jen fan, even before Friends. The first time I saw her was in Leprechaun and I thought she was so pretty. Yeah, she’s changed her face, gives the same responses to interviews over and over, plays the same characters most of the time, can’t find a man to save her life, but so what? She seems like someone I’d want to be friends with in real life, despite the fact that she does yoga.
Side-note…I used to work next to a yoga center and the women that came out after class always had this self-righteous, my shit don’t stink look on their face, like they were somehow better than everyone else cause they stretched for 2 hours. I’m not saying everyone that does yoga is like that, but I’ve seen more than enough evidence that a lot of them are assholes.
Actually people complained a lot about an intervew Jennifer had in Vogue right after her split with Brad, in which she admitted being devastated and miserable. Now she’s happy, and people are complaining she’s “boring”! Guess you can’t please everybody.
The pity party is finally over, thank God, and you can tell from the responses on some of the fan sites. A year ago she was Saint Jennifer The Victim Who Could Do No Wrong. Now she’s mostly seen as a pathetic, whining loser who can’t or won’t take any responsibility for her personal or professional failures. She’s a no-talent, washed-up has-been whose only real claim to fame is a hairstyle and an ex-husband she lost to a better woman, and whose tombstone will probably read “Here Lies The Former Mrs. Brad Pitt”.