Jennifer Aniston says growing up in an ‘unsafe’ household shaped her character
Aniston talked about her childhood in a conversation with fellow actress Sandra Bullock for an Interview magazine article published on the “Friends” star’s 51st birthday.
Jennifer Aniston says growing up in a household that felt “unsafe” helped to shape her character.
During a Q&A for Interview magazine, the “Friends” star chatted with fellow actress Sandra Bullock about how they first met, the time they both dated the same actor, and Aniston’s new series, “The Morning Show.”
Bullock also asked about how Aniston seems always able to exude positivity in her work and her personal life.
“What is it that allows you to stay buoyant and keep from getting discouraged when things don’t go the right way?” Bullock asked.
Aniston said she thinks it comes from living in a household that was “destabilized and 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.’”
Aniston’s parents, John Aniston and Nancy Dow, split when she was a child. Her father has been a longtime cast member on the daytime soap opera “Days of our Lives” and her mother starred in a number of TV shows and movies. Dow died in 2016.
“So I guess I have my parents to thank,” Aniston told Bullock. “You can either be angry or be a martyr, or you can say, ‘You’ve got lemons? Let’s make lemonade.’”
Bullock said she thinks that sometimes the destabilizing things in a person’s life will “either sink you or invigorate you to change and do better.”
The interview was published Tuesday, Aniston’s 51st birthday. The actress celebrated its release on Instagram.
“I had no idea this would be coming out today. Feeling proud and honored to be celebrating with this cover. Thanks to the Interview team for celebrating women at every age… turns out 51 is pretty fun,” she wrote, thanking the publication and her “sister from another mister” Bullock
Jennifer Aniston explains why she hates hearing ‘you look great for your age’
“It drives me bananas,” she said.
Jennifer Aniston is opening up about why one “compliment” drives her “bananas.”
In a new interview with British Vogue, Aniston, 54, said she “can’t stand” being told “you look great for your age.”
“That’s a habit of society that we have these markers like, ‘Well, you’re at that stage, so for your age…’ I don’t even understand what it means,” she said.
She added that physically, she feels better than she did when she was younger.
“I’m in better shape than I was in my 20s,” she said. “I feel better in mind, body and spirit. It’s all 100 percent better.”
In the interview, Aniston also shared why she values fitness and working out.
“My family lives a long time, especially my dad’s side — I want to be thriving; I don’t want to just be alive,“Aniston said.
Aniston recently told TODAY.com that she’s conscious about how she ages because she watched members of her parents’ generation experience their “bodies decline.”
“If I’m going to be 75, 85 years old, I don’t want to be in a wheelchair,” she said. “I don’t want want someone to have to lift me up and take me to the bathroom.”
During her interview with TODAY.com, Aniston revealed her current workout routine and favorite salad recipe, as well.
The actor is a fan of Pvolve and is currently an advisor for the low-impact method, which prioritizes resistance training. Pvolve offers a variety of classes, ranging from five to 60 minutes — a notable departure from Aniston’s past workouts, which consisted of at least 45 minutes of exercise that left her “drenched.”
So what’s her current routine?
“Just do 10 to 20 minutes, you can do anything for 10 to 20 minutes,” Aniston said. “You start to enjoy it, that’s the other thing. I really do push myself, just at least do that little bit. I’ll immediately feel incredible. You just instantly start to feel those endorphins and that energy.”
As for her favorite salad, Aniston said she starts with butter lettuce before adding mushrooms, sprouts, tomato, avocado, olives, almonds, sunflower seeds and “some cheese.”
“Never gonna give up my cheese,” she said. “I’ll do sliced parmesan, pecorino … feta … or all of them!”
In 2022, a salad recipe described as the meal Aniston ate everyday on the set of “Friends” went viral on TikTok. The salad included chickpeas, bacon, bulgur or quinoa, mint and pistachios.
But, it turned out to be another internet rumor. She told Elle last year that while the concoction looked “delicious,” she did not eat it while filming “Friends.”
