Jennifer Aniston Nearly Quit Acting Before She Was Cast on 'The Morning Show'

Jennifer Aniston at the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

The actress recalls how one of her recent roles 'sucked the life out of me.'

Not too long ago, Jennifer Aniston was ready to retire. The 51-year-old actress recently admitted to Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett on their podcast, Smartless, that there was a time when she contemplated quitting acting. 

"I would have to say the last two years that has crossed my mind, which it never did before," she shared, noting that it was an "unprepared project" she worked on that left her wondering if she should get out of the business altogether. "I was like, ‘Whoa, that sucked the life out of me.' I don't know if this is what interests me."

Thankfully, Aniston did not give up acting and went on to star on the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show that earned her a SAG Award win as well as Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

As for the profession the A-list star would get into if she wasn't an actress, Aniston has taken an interest in interior design. "I love it. It's my happy place. It's really a happy place for me," she told her fellow actors.

While Aniston is now making a name for herself in the TV drama realm, she told Bateman, Hayes and Arnett that one of her most favorite characters that she's played is still, "obviously," Rachel Green on the beloved NBC sitcom Friends. 

"That's a no brainer," she mused. "...I would have to say that would be number one."

In a surprising second place, Aniston said filming the 2011 comedy Just Go With It, starring Adam Sandler and Brooklyn Decker, was fun for her. 

"I always love shooting with Sandler," she said of the comedian, whom she also starred alongside in Netflix's 2019 movie Murder Mystery. "Just Go With It was super fun. [Sandler and I have] known each other since we were 19."

Up next, Aniston listed the critically acclaimed 2014 film Cake as being an experience that was "creatively fulfilling." The role landed her a Golden Globe and a SAG Award nomination. "Everything I imagined as an actor I'd be completely afraid of and suck at, I didn't so bad," she said of the challenging role. 

While these parts were memorable for Aniston, the actress recently excited her fans when she reunited with her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, to portray Linda Barrett in a table read of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Here's a look at some of the fun moments that incurred. 

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