Jennifer Aniston revealed that making The Break-Up right after her split from Brad Pitt was “cathartic” in a new Vanity Fair cover story.
The actress said studio executives “were a little nervous about making the offer” while she was going through her real-life divorce. But Aniston saw it differently.
“I actually thought, ‘What a great opportunity,'”
she told the magazine.
In a video interview for Vanity Fair published Aug. 11, the 56-year-old actress watched a clip from the 2006 film. Her character delivers the line: “I’m not spending one more second of this life with some inconsiderate prick.”
“I might have just gone through a separation,” Aniston said after watching the scene.
She joked about her headline-making 2005 split from Pitt. “That little separation. I’m sure nobody remembers that.”
Studio Executives Had Concerns
The rom-com follows a nasty breakup between Aniston’s character and Vince Vaughn’s. Studio executives worried the timing might be inappropriate.
“When they came to me with the offer, they were a little nervous about making the offer, ’cause they thought, ‘Oh, is that insensitive? Is it inappropriate?'”
Aniston explained.
The actress saw both personal and professional benefits in taking the role.
“I knew it would actually kind of benefit me emotionally, just as a human being,” she said. “And also serve the script and the character pretty well.”
Looking Back on the Divorce
In her Vanity Fair cover story, the Friends alum made another rare comment about her divorce from Pitt. The two are now friendly.
The interview comes 20 years after Aniston’s famous 2005 Vanity Fair article titled “The Unsinkable Jennifer Aniston.”
She admitted she hasn’t “looked at that article in forever.”
“I just remember the experience of doing it – which was kind of jarring. It was also such a vulnerable time. But yeah, that was one for the memoirs.”
Talking About Brad with Gwyneth
Aniston revealed she and longtime friend Gwyneth Paltrow talk about Pitt. Paltrow famously dated the actor before Aniston did.
“Oh, of course,” she said when asked if they discuss their shared ex. “How can we not? We’re girls.”
Aniston and Pitt were introduced by their managers. They secretly dated before marrying in a lavish 2000 ceremony.
After their 2005 split, Aniston told Vanity Fair: “I really do hope that someday we can be friends again.”
The former couple have since reunited several times. Pitt attended Aniston’s 50th birthday in 2019. Their warm backstage embrace at the 2020 SAG Awards went viral.
They also played love interests in a virtual 2020 table reading of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Aniston later said there was no awkwardness between the now-“buddies.”
The actress briefly dated her The Break-Up costar Vaughn before they separated in late 2006. She’s currently dating hypnotherapist Jim Curtis.
Pitt is in a relationship with jewelry designer Ines de Ramon.
