Jennifer Aniston before and after Friends

She may be the eternal Rachel Green from 'Friends,' but Jennifer Aniston has done so much more in film and TV! Have a look at her trajectory in this gallery...

Jennifer Aniston was 23 when she auditioned for the role of Monica Geller in 'Friends'. No, we're not confused. Originally, she was up for the role of Monica, but the producers felt that Courteney Cox gave a better profile, and they ended up assigning the character of Rachel Green to Jennifer Aniston. 17 years after the end of the series, Rachel Green is still television history.

Although 'Friends' gave her worldwide recognition, Jennifer Aniston already had an interesting résumé behind her. In fact, in 1990, she took part in the legendary 'Camp Cucamonga', sharing the cast with Jaleel White, Josh Saviano, Candace Cameron, and Danica McKellar, among others.

Image: NBC

The 90s began with a starring role in the series 'Ferris Bueller'. Behind the camera, Jennifer Aniston had a relationship with Charles Schlatter, an icon of 80s' teen movies, but it didn't go any further - just like some of the fashion of the series.

'Quantum Leap' gave the actress a taste of sci-fi and made her realize that it wasn't her thing. Jennifer Aniston was made for comedy, and she just had to wait for the right moment.

Image: NBC

The 'right' moment came at the hands of Rachel Green. On 22 September 1994, NBC aired the first episode of 'Friends', entitled 'The Pilot'. The first time the world saw Rachel Green, she appeared dressed as a bride at the Central Perk cafe. That day, the audience fell in love with Jennifer Aniston.

For 10 seasons and 236 episodes, Rachel Green was a TV, comedy, and style icon. Jennifer Aniston managed to be one of those actresses whom everyone likes, similar to Julia Roberts or Tom Hanks.

As 'Friends' went on, the cast became one big family. That's what working together for 10 years is all about. However, the friendship that Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston built was stronger than any other. More than 27 years after they met, the two actresses are still close. They support each other through the bad times, and there have been plenty of them.

In parallel to 'Friends', which occupied Jennifer Aniston a good part of the year, the actress was making her first steps in cinema, with titles very much to her style, like 'Bruce Almighty' (2003) with Jim Carrey.

Image: Universal

In this photo, we see her at the premiere of 'Along Came Polly' (2004) with co-star Ben Stiller. Just like in 'Bruce Almighty,' Aniston was the love interest of the lead actor.

And then it was time to leave the 'Friends' family behind. The series went off air with a final episode that remains one of the most-watched in television history. On 6 May 2004, the final episode of the series, 'The Last One', was broadcast. It had an audience of 52.5 million viewers.

Ever since, people speculated about a reboot of the series. Yet, nothing more but a simple reunion episode has been made. The cast (minus Matthew Perry, who passed away in 2023) and creators seem to believe that everything was perfect with its original ending and that a reboot would only spoil the memory.

It seemed that Jennifer Aniston wanted to do more films than TV shows. Her leap into film made her the most successful 'Friends' star after the series.

Jennifer Aniston was considered the new Queen of Comedy in Hollywood. In movies that continued the laughs and love of 'Bruce Almighty' and 'Along Came Polly,' Jennifer Aniston seemed to be the updated version of Meg Ryan (who, in the mid-2000s, was already losing the spotlight).

Some titles that you may remember from the 2000s and 2010s are 'Rumor Has It' (2005, with Shirley MacLaine, Robert Redford, and a young Mark Ruffalo), 'He's Just Not That Into You' (2011, with a large ensemble star cast), 'We're the Millers' (2013), and 'Horrible Bosses' (2011 and 2014).

Jennifer Aniston fell in love with her co-star Vince Vaughn while filming 'The Break Up'. It didn't last long, so they could pretty soon mirror the fictional break-up in real life.

Image: Universal

And then there was 'Marley & Me', a box-office hit from Christmas 2008 in which Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson have a dramatic love story while trying to manage a sweet but difficult dog, Marley.

Image: Fox 2000

In this romantic comedy, the two lead actors have a similar relationship to that of 'The Break-Up'. Jennifer Aniston plays Gerald Butler's ex-wife whom he has to trace and catch, since he's a bounty hunter and she skipped bail. Strikingly, the actors had a fling on set in real life.

Boyfriends and husbands have come and gone, but one of the most stable relationships in Jennifer Aniston's life has been the one with Chris McMillan. A close friend, hairdresser, and business partner (they created a hair firm called 'Living Proof'), he is the creator of what is known as the 'Rachel Hairstyle' and is responsible for the actress always looking perfect. A long-lasting and fruitful relationship.

Together with Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston once again plays a funny and dynamic couple in 'Murder Mystery'. There are two installments of the franchise (2019 and 2023) and in each, the couple of lovers / detectives have to solve complex crimes involving funny characters.

Image: Netflix

Now that Jennifer Aniston is in her fifties, she is still rocking television. 'The Morning Show', a drama series that started on Apple TV+ in 2019 has earned her several awards and nominations. She is shining as brightly or even better than the time she walked into Central Perk as a bride of 23.

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