Jennifer Aniston raw, unfiltered and as you’ve never seen her before: “It’s irksome to be called beautiful”

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The year is 1997, and the TV show Friends has been a huge hit for nearly three years. Jennifer Aniston, along with the five other main actors, is incredibly well-known around the world.

Though still new to Hollywood, she recently sat down with TopMob for a candid conversation about her life, relationships, and newfound fame, and the interview turned out to be remarkably honest and revealing.

This interview was originally published in TopMob magazine in July 1997.

Everyone knows Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, the wealthy character from the TV show Friends, and her famous hairstyle is instantly recognizable. However, her own life hasn’t always been as smooth as her character’s appears to be.

I’ve always been fascinated by those little moments that capture something bigger, and America’s first haircut is one of those for me. It’s such a tender image – her curled up, knees drawn to her chest, looking almost fetal – all happening in a London hotel room that her assistant had carefully checked out beforehand. They were talking about life, about what success even means, and it felt incredibly intimate and revealing.

It’s definitely been surprising for everyone involved,” says Jennifer Aniston, who famously played Rachel on Friends. “I don’t think success has changed me as a person, even though some people seem to think it has and now treat me differently. I’m still the same, but I’m happier because I get to do what I love and I’m financially secure.

A lot of actors chase fame, but I think it’s strange and a bit ridiculous. Seeing my face on a magazine cover feels unreal – it’s just someone pretending to be me, all dressed up for work. I honestly get tired of talking about myself. It’s funny how people suddenly assume you’re fascinating when, really, you’re just a normal person like anyone else.

So, about my hair… let’s just say it became a bigger deal than it needed to be. It all started when my hairdresser, Chris – he’s really talented – accidentally cut it too short. He fixed it by giving me a style I’d seen before, but then everyone suddenly acted like it was some huge trend. It was nice to get the attention, but honestly, it got a little out of hand. At the end of the day, it’s just hair.

Friends is a hugely successful sitcom, generating around $500 million annually from syndication rights. It’s watched by approximately thirty million people in the United States and up to five million in Britain. The show centers on six roommates who each represent a different stereotype, and viewers tend to either love it or dislike it.

The show is very careful to avoid offense (though it currently lacks Black representation). It’s either a clever and witty look at the lives of young adults in the city, or a silly escape filled with quick jokes and exaggerated reactions. Rachel is portrayed as a somewhat clueless, attractive character who often wears revealing clothing and has a complicated on-again, off-again relationship with Ross, a quiet dinosaur expert whose former wife is in a relationship with another woman.

I just recently felt comfortable enough to watch the show without cringing at my own portrayal. Unlike Rachel, I wasn’t spoiled growing up, and we have different backgrounds. However, we do share some things in common, like a love for fashion. While I enjoy clothes, I don’t typically wear revealing outfits, and even the few times I’ve shown some skin, I’ve always felt a bit self-conscious about it – it just feels unnecessary.

It’s funny to me that people see me as a sex symbol, especially because I didn’t used to feel confident about my looks at all. I have a very typical Greek figure – curvy, with larger breasts and a fuller bottom – and I’ve even gotten some criticism for talking about it so openly. But honestly, most of the Greek women I know are built the same way, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! Still, it bothers me when people call me beautiful. I have days where I feel terrible and just don’t want to work out, because trying to stay healthy can be really monotonous.

Now that she’s 28, she’s playfully imagining a simple life as a Greek housewife. She jokes about wanting to be healthy enough to eat anything without needing to exercise – a real dream! While she’s been in the public eye with past relationships, she’s now happily engaged to actor Tate Donovan, who previously dated Sandra Bullock.

We surprised each other on our first anniversary by both giving each other Claddagh rings! It was really romantic. She shows me her silver ring, which has a heart design. She explains that the way you wear it has meaning: if the heart points outward, you’re single, and inward means you’re in a relationship. She’d love to get married someday, but feels her generation is more cautious about making sure they find the right person. She understands people talk about ‘living in sin,’ but thinks it’s actually smart to live with someone before marrying them – how else would you know if you’re truly compatible?

Is she living with him? She laughs and says no, not yet. She’s afraid of being cheated on, having seen her mother go through the heartbreak of infidelity. She hasn’t experienced it herself, and says she’d rather leave a relationship before it got to that point. She compares it to getting sick – something awful that no one wants to go through.

I’d love to be married, but my generation takes these things slowly

Born into a theatrical family – her father, John, is an actor, and her mother, Nancy, was once an actress and model – her early childhood in Manhattan was idyllic. However, when she was nine, her parents separated, marking a turning point in her life. Looking back, she jokingly refers to this as the start of a ‘tragic actor’s life.’ She explains that she mirrored the unhappiness of her parents, acting out in school as a way to get their attention. She eventually realized she became the class clown specifically to be sent to the principal’s office, ensuring her parents would both be present, and she thrived on the resulting drama.

My dad once told me I wasn’t interesting, which really hurt my self-esteem. He did the best he could as a father, and that’s all there is to it. Thankfully, we’ve become good friends now that we’re older. It’s often the case that parents and children connect better as adults, which is a little sad, but I wouldn’t trade any of it.

Experiencing difficult things when you’re young can make you very emotionally aware, which can be helpful in creative work. However, I’ve seen some artists who seem to dwell on sadness and hardship, almost as if they’re afraid losing that pain will also mean losing their inspiration. That way of thinking can be really damaging.

Even though Jennifer Aniston displayed artistic talent early, with a painting exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at age 11, her true passion was acting. Her father discouraged her, fearing financial instability and the pain of rejection, but he knew directly forbidding her would only make her more resolute. He predicted a difficult path, but Aniston was determined to pursue her dream, both to prove him wrong and to discover if she could succeed.

I’ve always been driven and definitely wanted financial security growing up – we didn’t have much, and even something small like a Diet Coke at lunch or having friends over was out of reach. I really dislike being told ‘no’. Even now, the amount of money earned in Hollywood still surprises me – it’s incredible. I think it’s because we provide people with entertainment and a way to escape their everyday lives, and we essentially share a part of ourselves with them.

I’m concerned about my safety because some people know where I live, and I’d prefer they didn’t. I didn’t expect this kind of attention to come with what happened, and it’s making me wonder if it was all worth it. It’s hard to say what the cost of this has been.

The claim that we each make a hundred thousand dollars per episode isn’t true – we actually earn less, and we all make the same amount. It’s funny that people imagine we argue about money, but it’s really not something we do. We get along great, share a similar sense of humor, and have a rare chemistry. The show definitely requires some suspension of disbelief, but we strive to make the stories and characters feel authentic. It has the potential to be a classic and continue for years, even until we’ve all settled down with families and moved into our own places – though that would require a bigger budget for new sets!

Looking back, my journey to success wasn’t exactly smooth sailing – it was paved with a lot of failures, honestly! I tried so many different things at the start. I worked as a waitress – I wasn’t very good, but I actually enjoyed it! Then I was a receptionist at an ad agency, and I spent some time at a skincare centre and even scooping ice cream. But the worst? Definitely telephone marketing. I’m just not a pushy person, so I mostly called friends and ended up quitting after only a week. It just wasn’t for me.

Early acting roles weren’t great. She admits to appearing in some terrible movies and TV shows that she now feels cheapened her work, and she’s largely forgotten them. She also felt pressure to conform to a certain body type, losing 30 pounds before finally landing a significant role in 1994. Getting the part of Phoebe on Friends was surprisingly easy. She auditioned, enjoyed the script, and received a call just an hour later offering her the job.

She came to Los Angeles at age 20 and lived in a communal house in the Hollywood Hills. Initially, she didn’t care for the city. Having grown up in New York, she considered Los Angeles superficial and lacking in culture. However, her opinion has changed, and she now enjoys living there. When asked if she’d become more lighthearted herself, she laughed and said she doubted it.

There’s definitely a lot of jealousy among actresses

And what about the goddesses? She admits it sounds unusual, tucking her knees to her chest and lighting a cigarette with a smile. Several times a year, usually around the summer and winter solstices or other important astrological dates, a group of seven to twenty of her female friends – who refer to themselves as ‘the goddesses’ – gather in the hills. They create a candlelit circle and toss in personal items as part of their ritual.

We gather, share music, talk about our lives, play drums, sing, and enjoy a large meal together. It’s truly special to bring women together for an evening to celebrate being women. Often, women aren’t very supportive of each other, and I’m not sure why – perhaps it’s insecurity or competition. There’s certainly a lot of jealousy among actresses, likely due to the limited roles available and the pressure to succeed.

I’ve definitely felt envy towards other women, but it’s always been about wanting the same opportunities, not about disliking them. It’s not their fault – sometimes it feels as silly as them just having the ‘right look’ for a role. It’s frustrating how much emphasis is placed on appearance, so I try to support other women and create a space where we can all feel comfortable. It’s amazing to see women breaking free from these pressures, but they still often worry about being attractive and maintaining relationships, something you don’t see men stressing over nearly as much.

I’m being sarcastic, of course. The idea that women are naturally weaker still exists. She agreed, saying many women feel inferior, even though they shouldn’t. They’re starting to overcome that, and that’s why you see them being so assertive now. Shows like Friends can reflect that – we had a storyline about women getting rid of things from past relationships and finally standing up for themselves, and audiences really connected with it.

The show’s popularity brings the risk of being forever associated with this one role, but the actor isn’t worried. They feel confident they can avoid that by carefully choosing future projects. They don’t believe they could surpass the success of ‘Friends’ and are considering focusing on films instead, hoping to find some truly great roles.

She’s currently filming “The Object of My Affection” alongside Alan Alda and Nigel Hawthorne, playing a woman who develops feelings for a gay man. She explained that women are often drawn to gay men because of their ability to connect emotionally. She shared a personal experience, recalling a high school crush on a boy who didn’t reciprocate her feelings – she later learned he was gay.

People often compare her to Farrah Fawcett, who was famous in the 1970s for her role in Charlie’s Angels. However, it’s a worrying comparison, as Fawcett didn’t achieve much success after that show.

It’s tough, and I’m realizing people often wait for you to stumble. They praise you only to tear you down. Steven Spielberg explained how fame and success are often followed by criticism and setbacks. Even just being in a film can be nerve-wracking, and the pressure is much greater when you’re part of a popular show. I’m afraid of facing that kind of downfall.

Authors

Andrew Duncan

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2026-01-02 10:41