Jennifer Aniston Said She Almost Quit Acting Over 1 Role: It ‘Sucked the Life Out of Me’
It’s hard to imagine Jennifer Aniston doing anything besides acting, but she admitted during a recent podcast that she toyed with the idea of quitting the business. What would the Friends star do if she wasn’t acting? Her career would be far different, but doing something that is her “happy place.”
Jennifer Aniston said she almost quit acting because of 1 role
During an episode of the SmartLess podcast with co-hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, Aniston opened up about a particularly taxing project that made her consider quitting the acting business altogether.
Bateman asked, “What’s the closest you ever got to quitting the business?”
“I would have to say the last two years that has crossed my mind,” Aniston revealed, adding, “which it never did before.”
While she wasn’t naming names about the role, she called the job an “unprepared project” that she revealed had “sucked the life out of me.”
“I don’t know if this is what interests me,” the actor recalled thinking.
Thankfully, she didn’t let those feelings guide her away from the business and she went on to do The Morning Show, which earned her Golden Globe and Emmy nominations and a SAG Awards win.
Jennifer Aniston considered another career that is her ‘happy place’
What would Aniston do if she followed through on giving up acting? She had the perfect career in mind — something that she really enjoys.
She revealed that she’d love to be an interior designer. “I love it. It’s my happy place,” Aniston explained. “It’s really a happy place for me.”
The actor has mentioned the alternate career choice in the past, noting in a 2011 Marie Claire interview how she has a love of design. “If I weren’t an actor; I’d be, maybe, an interior designer. I love seeing a house and thinking about how it should be redone or restored. I spent a lot of time doing my current house, and it’s beautiful. It’s like a beautiful work of art, and I’m very proud of it,” she explained.
In 2018, Aniston told Architectural Digest, “If I wasn’t an actress, I’d want to be a designer. I love the process. There’s something about picking out fabrics and finishes that feeds my soul.”
‘Friends’ is one of Jennifer Aniston’s favorite jobs
Aniston’s extensive resume has a lot of hits and, when the hosts asked what her favorite performance has been, not surprisingly, she ranked Friends first.
“I loved, well, obviously Friends,” she said. “That’s a no brainer… I would have to say that would be number one.”
She also has a lot of love for the 2011 movie Just Go With It, which she co-starred in with Adam Sandler.
“I always love shooting with Sandler. Just Go With It was super fun,” Aniston shared. “We’ve known each other since we were 19.”
The actor also said the 2014 film Cake was a career highlight. “That was an experience that was creatively fulfilling,” she explained. “Everything I imagined as an actor I’d be completely afraid of and suck at, I didn’t so bad.”
