Dallas County Living Well Magazine September/October 2016 | Page 9

herself with several part-time jobs.
And yes, she had stints waitressing,
just like her character in Friends.
She was also a telemarketer and
bike messenger. Who would have
thought?

Friends to the Rescue

Aniston got a publicity boost after appearing on The Howard Stern Show as
a spokes model for Nutrisystem. That
same year, she made the leap to the
West Coast, and Los Angeles became
her home.

Aniston ran into Warren Littlefield, a
NBC big wig, while filling her tank at
a LA gas station. Littlefield gave her
the reassurance she needed, telling
the hopeful actress to stick with it and
keep trying. A few months later, he
cast her in a show called Friends.
Originally, producers wanted Aniston to pursue the role of Monica
Geller, but Courtney Cox was found
better suited for the part. Thus, Aniston morphed into a perfect Rachel
Green, and things skyrocketed.
The series, which started in 1994,
was extremely successful––and lu-

crative. According to reports, Aniston received a whopping $1 million
per episode throughout the last two
seasons. She also earned five Emmy
nominations, and was awarded
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She also won two Golden Globes, and scored the coveted
title of the highest paid TV actress of
all time, according to the Guinness
Book of World Records (2005). Not
so bad for the former waitress.
In between shooting Friends episodes, Aniston took to the big
screen, scoring roles in films such
as She’s the One, Picture Perfect,
Office Space, and The Object of
my Affection. She also gained acclaim in a breakthrough role in the
low-budget film, The Good Girl,
playing a cashier who cheats on
her husband.

Continued, page 8

Photo credit: Open Road Films

In 1990, she was cast in a short-lived
series, Molloy, followed by co-starring
in Ferris Bueller, a spinoff of the popular 1986 movie. However, both shows
flopped. And, the failed attempts continued. Aniston then appeared in a
handful of other comedy shows that
didn’t make it big time. But, luck was
on her side.

Aniston fell into a semi-depression after her stream of unsuccessful shows.
It was a chance gas station encounter
that changed her life.

Julia Roberts, left, and
Jennifer Aniston in a scene
from, “Mother’s Day.”

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