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Magazine
index - Entire
Cast - Cast
members - Jennifer
Aniston - Courteney
Cox
Just one year ago, who would've guessed that Jennifer Aniston's life could get any better? At the time she was a star on one of the top-rated television shows; her indie flick, "The Good Girl", had just wowed audiences at the Sundance Film Festival; and she had one of the most devoted (not to mention sexy) husbands around. Now, 12 months later, Jennifer's life has only gotten better. She won (for the first time) an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her work on Friends; her next movie, Bruce Almighty, opens this month; and another film, in which she stars with Ben Stiller, is in the works. Plus, as her ten-year run on Friends goes into its last season (or so they say), she and her husband of nearly three years, Brad Pitt, are hinting that after all the rumors started by a hopeful public, parenthood could be just around the corner. To us it may seem that Jennifer's star has exploded, but to those nearest and dearest to her, the magic's been there all along. "I don't think anything blossomed in her this year that wasn't already there," Brad observed recently. "It just seems like the rest of the world is waking up to what has been there all along." So what is it about Jennifer that makes her so special? In a time when fame turns some stars into unhappy prima donnas, Jennifer has stayed cool, normal, nice, approachable -and she radiates a relaxed and happy attitude. In fact, she brings to mind Hollywood's biggest class acts of all time: Grace Kelly, Carole Lombard, and Audrey Hepburn. This kind of inner (and outer) peace can be achieved only if you live by some pretty golden rules. "I try not to get stressed out. Put stressful things in a compartment and don't let them affect you," she advised. "I'm just having fun!" Rule
#1 They may be Tinsletown's favorite fairy-tale couple, but Jennifer, 34, and Brad, 39, have somehow managed to keep their private lives to themselves (which is probably why we're so fascinated by them). Sure, they do the obligatory red-carpet promenade when promoting a film or attending an awards show; but when the cameras stop snapping, Brad and Jen often head back to their beach home in Santa Barbara and indulge in some basic pleasures. Tops on their list? Designing and decorating their new home. In June 2001 they bought a $14 million, 12,000-square-foot, six-bedroom Normandy-style mansion in Beverly Hills. Brad, an architecture aficionado, added skylights, a gym, a wine cellar, and more. For most young marrieds, creating a home together is a classic rite of passage that can test a couple's love. And for Jennifer and Brad, the project was indeed a real eye-opener. "He definitely has strong opinions about aesthetics," Jennifer said recently. "We've learned to make decisions that we both feel good about. And I actually think our marriage is even better now because we've been through this stuff. We've survived the whole house construction aspect, and that's a big thing." Another way they keep their relationship low-profile is by not working together too often. "We loved working together on Friends [in November 2001], but it's like putting a big, bull's-eye on ourselves," said Jennifer. "It's like saying, 'Let's be a married couple and see how we act together.' It won't happen again for a while." And with such a happy home life, who needs to work together? "It's a nice feeling to have somedy whom you just like so much," Jennifer has said. "I think it's made me more comfortable with who I am to have someone who loves me and accepts me with all of my crap and dysfunction and insecurities and struggles. And he kind of sees it all through these beautiful rose-colored glasses." Seems as if she sees only the good in him, too. "I wanted to shave his beard when he had it. It was soft and lovely, but I was happy when it was gone," she said. The only thing this picture's missing is a baby. For the time being, Jennifer's official line on motherhood is that it will happen but just not this minute: "Oh, yeah, of course. When Friends is over, at some point," she said. "I've already read the books [her character, Rachel, recently had a baby on the show] and I'm a diapering pro." Obviously the scene is set for Jen and Brad: a fulfilling relationship, a gorgeous home, and dreams of parenthood. But ultimately what really keeps their relationship rock solid is a deep belief that they were fated to be together: "I knew he was for me the minute I met him," Jennifer said.
Rule
#2
The secret to a great career? Be a big fish in a small pond! After ten years on Friends, Jennifer is ready to spread her wings. "It feels like it's time," she said. "I was 24 when I started this job, and all of a sudden I'm almost 34. I've never had a work committment that lasted this long." When fame first hit, Jennifer jumped at big parts in big-budget films such as Picture Perfect and The Object of My Affection. But the reviews were not 100 percent positive, so Jennifer changed her tactics by taking interesting roles in smaller films like Office Space and The Good Girl, and in the process won over the critics. Of the praise she received for her finely naunced performance as a depressed young wife in The Good Girl, Jennifer said: "I knew the part was a good choice, but I don't think anybody ever anticipated this [response]." Her work was so good that when the movie hit the theaters, last summer, some predicted an Oscar nomination (in one online poll, 33 percent of voters said she should have received a best-actress nod) and were very surprised when there wasn't one. Not that Jennifer is complaining. She saw the film as "a whole new horizon. It felt like this new set of opportunities." Apparently the Hollywood powers that be agreed, as Jennifer was quickly cast in two big comedies. The first, Bruce Almighty, stars Jim Carrey as a man challenged by God to make the world a better place. "It's been so much fun working wiht him," Jennifer said of Carrey. "My bones ached from laughing. He's a great physical comedian." The second is a still-untitled comedy due out later this year, with Ben Stiller. It was written and directed by John Hamburg, a writer on Ben's smash hit Meet The Parents, who promises a departure from Friends for Jennifer: "[She plays] a wild woman, someone who's very loose." Jennifer concurred: "[She] is definitely a free-spirited girl." So what's it like to work with Jennifer? Bruce director Tom Shadyac has only praise: "Jennifer manages to amaze you and make you feel like she could be your next-door neighbor at the same time. When you consider how much money she makes and who she's married to, it's pretty incredible." Rule
#3 Jennifer's laid-back approach to the celebrity lifestyle is just one more reason she's so well loved. "I don't like feeling as if I'm all showy, even at awards shows," she said recently. This is not to say that she doesn't look amazing while working a crowd: She does. It's just that she has a rare ability to look elegant and relaxed. "She exudes an enegry that is sexy and wholesome at the same time," observed Debra McGuire, Friends wardrobe designer. "She really understands her body in terms of what looks great on her." Take the outfit she chose for the Good Girl premiere: The white tank top paired with the blue ankle-length wrap skirt is casual and cutting-edge all at once. And the floor-length black dress she donned for this year's SAG Awards is sophisticated yet modern, an example of her ability to dress up without dressing old. Even more endearing is when she's spotted in cargo pants and flip-flops, her hair in a ponytail, buying groceries at Piggly Wiggly. "I admit I love clothes," she has said. "But I'm more comfrtoable in khakis, sneakers,and a T-shirt." Says John Sahag, her New York hairstylist and friend: "It's Jennifer's casualness and purity that make her style: she's adventurous but always feminine." It's
this sense of real-girlness that draws friends and fans alike to
Jennifer. She seems like someone we'd want to go to the movies with,
or confide our secrets in. After all these years, Jennifer definites
the word "friend."
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