Jennifer Aniston before and after 'Friends'

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.

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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.

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.

People say (but never confirmed) that Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry had a brief romance in 2005, after 'Friends' had ended. No one would have imagined Chandler and Rachel together on the show, but it may have happened in real life.

Who did certainly steal Jennifer Aniston's heart was Tate Donovan. They had a stable relationship for more than three years (1995-1998). Curiously, the couple broke up days before the actor took part in the series, playing Joshua... Rachel's new boyfriend! It couldn't have been more uncomfortable for both of them.

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 'Along Came Polly'. In this photo we see her at the premiere of 'We're the Millers.' Her look caused a sensation. Jennifer Aniston's hair has always been a trend for thousands of fans and fashionistas.

Shortly after her breakup with Tate Donovan, the world came to a standstill to learn that Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt had begun seeing each other. They were the two biggest stars, and now the biggest couple in Hollywood.

For seven years, Brad and Jennifer were the most envied, applauded, followed and admired couple in the world. They married in the summer of 2000 in Malibu. The couple's best feature was that they went to events with matching looks. Their worst feature though?  That they lived through the worst period in fashion history: the 2000s.

But then came 2005, and Angelina Jolie. The filming of 'Mr & Mrs Smith' was the end of a fairy tale that had the whole world's attention for seven years. No one would have suspected this ending, especially when they saw Brad Pitt looking at Jennifer Aniston this way in May 2004, at the presentation of 'Troy'.

A few months before breaking up with Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston had also said goodbye to the other great love of her life: Rachel Green. The series went off air with a final episode that remains one of the most watched in television history. It had an audience of 52.5 million viewers.

On 6 May 2004, the final episode of the series, 'The Last One', was broadcast. 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.

What seemed to be clear to Jennifer Aniston after the end of 'Friends' was that she didn't want any more television. At least not for a while. Her leap into film made her the most successful 'Friends' star after the series.

At times, Jennifer Aniston was considered the new queen of comedy in Hollywood. She seemed to be the updated version of Meg Ryan who, in the mid-2000s, was already losing the spotlight. 'Derailed', 'The Break Up', or 'Horrible Bosses' are some of the titles she starred in the post 'Friends' years.

It took Jennifer Aniston a year to resume her love life after her divorce from Brad Pitt. She was with Vince Vaughn, with whom she filmed 'The Break Up'. It lasted only a year. Although they didn't seem to hit it off, the actor blamed the media for the break-up.

The same John Mayer to whom Taylor Swift dedicated her legendary 'Dear John', also had a relationship with Jennifer Aniston. They met at a post-Oscar party in 2008 and dated for about a year. He's really a lucky guy.

Perhaps, shooting 'The Bounty Hunter' together for several months caused Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler to hit it off. However, they lasted as long as two ice cubes in a whisky on the rocks, or, more concretely, the time it took to film and promote the movie.

Then, when no one expected it, Justin Theroux appeared as a worthy heir to Brad Pitt's throne. Handsome, likeable, charismatic and with a skin that, as Aniston herself said, was smoother than her own.

They got married in the summer of 2015, but two and a half years later they suddenly announced their divorce. No one knows what happened, but it didn't matter because Brad Pitt was single by that time as well. He had separated from Angelina Jolie and the world once again believed that 'Braniston II' was possible.

Now, if there has been a stable relationship in Jennifer Aniston's life, it is the one she has had with Chris McMillan. 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 responsible for the actress always looking perfect. A long-lasting and fruitful relationship.

Now that Jennifer Aniston reaches the age of 52 with no known relationships, she is sweeping her return to television with 'The Morning Show' (Apple TV+) and looking as good or even better than the time she walked into Central Perk as a bride of 23.

Having said that, and if we may take the liberty, we consider that neither Brad Pitt, Justin Theroux, nor Tate Donovan have been as worthy of Jennifer Aniston's love as David Schwimmer. For a series to completely change its plot and maintain it for 10 seasons based on the chemistry of two actors is incredible, but it happened with Ross and Rachel. Let no one ever forget it.

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