Jennifer Aniston is getting extremely candid about her life in the spotlight.
Jennifer Aniston is getting extremely candid about her life in the spotlight.
The 49-year-old actress covers InStyle's September issue, in which she not only stuns in the sexy photo shoot, but opens up to her good friend -- and Jimmy Kimmel's wife -- Molly McNearney, about everything from her much-dissected love life to her experience with sexual harassment in the industry.
Read on for Aniston's biggest reveals:
Why she hasn't had a child:
Aniston brings up tabloid rumors that she refuses to have a baby because of her thriving career and points out how hurtful they are.
"The misconceptions are ... 'Jen refuses to have a baby because she’s selfish and committed to her career,'" she notes, calling the assumption "reckless." "No one knows what’s going on behind closed doors. No one considers how sensitive that might be for my partner and me. They don’t know what I’ve been through medically or emotionally."
She is also OK with not being a parent.
"There is a pressure on women to be mothers, and if they are not, then they’re deemed damaged goods," she says. "Maybe my purpose on this planet isn’t to procreate. Maybe I have other things I’m supposed to do?"
Aniston does, however, love her friends' kids. McNearney notes how great the actress is with the writer's children with Kimmel -- 4-year-old daughter Jane and 1-year-old son Billy.
"I love those rascals," Aniston says. "Also, they’re good kids. I have to say, we’re lucky. There’s not one kid in the group where you think, 'That little brat.'"
She's not heartbroken after her breakup from Justin Theroux:
Aniston split from Theroux in February after two years of marriage, but says she's doing just fine.
"It’s pretty crazy. The misconceptions are 'Jen can’t keep a man,' ... Or that I’m sad and heartbroken," Aniston says. "First, with all due respect, I’m not heartbroken."
She also points out the sexism in the media's coverage of her love life.
"When a couple breaks up in Hollywood, it’s the woman who is scorned," she explains. "The woman is left sad and alone. She’s the failure. F that. When was the last time you read about a divorced, childless man referred to as a spinster?"
Her experience with sexual harassment:
Aniston reveals it's actually other actors who have hit on her on set, not those in a position of power.
"I’ve definitely had some sloppy moves made on me by other actors, and I handled it by walking away," she shares. "I’ve never had anyone in a position of power make me feel uncomfortable and leverage that over me. In my personal experience I’ve been treated worse verbally and energetically by some women in this industry."
She does, however, support the #MeToo and Time's Up movements in Hollywood.
"It’s long overdue," she says. "But we also need to be better at listening to one another. That includes men. They need to be part of this conversation. When everyone is mad and aggressive, people become too afraid to speak and there is no conversation. Same goes for politics. We need to include each other, to hear each other out. We can’t stoop to the anger. Michelle Obama said it best: 'When they go low, we go high.' We should all be living by that if we want real progress."
She was bullied as a child because she was "chubby":
It's hard to believe America's sweetheart ever being unpopular, but Aniston says this was exactly the case during her middle school years.
"I was one of those kids who got sort of bullied, and I don’t know why," Aniston surprisingly reveals. "I was one of the kids who the others would decide to make fun of. It was an odd period of time during fifth, sixth, seventh grades. I was a little on the chubby side, so I was just that kid."
"Childhood is such a vulnerable time, and I’m sure a part of me believed all that they teased me about," she continues. "Thankfully, I didn’t have a phone or social media to look at and think, 'Oh, I’m not this, I’m not that.' I just wanted to have fun and play capture the flag."
She's a "creeper" on social media:
Aniston doesn't have any Twitter, Facebook or Instagram accounts, but fully admits to checking out what's on social media from time to time.
"I will totally admit that I can dip into Instagram and sort of be a secret voyeur," she says. "I’m a creeper. There are times when I’ll look through and think, 'Oh my god, what a time suck!' I’ve been with people who spend maybe an hour figuring out this one post, and you’re like, 'That just took up an hour of your life, and it’s gone in 60 seconds.'"
Clearly, don't expect Aniston to join social media anytime soon.
"It feels like we are losing connection," she says about the pitfalls. "I think we’re losing conversation. It’s hard enough being a teenager and feeling like you fit in. Now we’re actively creating an environment and a platform for you to tell someone, 'I like you' or 'I don’t like you.' That seems like an unhealthy formula for already-insecure adolescents. We’re pouring fuel on a fire."
She shares hobbies with her famous exes:
When asked about what hobby she would like to master, Aniston reveals it's sculpting. The tidbit is interesting given her ex-husband Brad Pitt's intense interest in sculpting after his 2016 split from Angelina Jolie.
"Twelve years ago I had a beautiful art studio, and that was my dream then," Aniston says. "I still want to take the time to have those moments for myself. I had a wheel, and I had a bunch of clay."
In a May 2017 interview with GQ, Pitt also talked about his love for sculpting. The actor said that he's taken to sculpting at his friend's art studio in an effort to work through the chaos of his life and to help him focus his mind and his energies.
"If I’m not creating something, doing something, putting it out there, then I’ll just be creating scenarios of fiery demise in my mind," Pitt said. "I’m making everything. I’m working with clay, plaster, rebar, wood. Just trying to learn the materials. You know, I surprise myself. But it’s a very, very lonely occupation."
Aniston also tells McNearney that her exercise of choice is boxing these days. In March, a source told ET that boxing was a big part of Theroux's life after his split from the actress.
"Last year I discovered boxing, and I love it," Aniston shares. "I have this trainer named Leyon, who I believe hung the moon. It’s the longest workout I’ve actually stayed with consistently other than yoga. There’s something about the mental aspect of boxing -- the drills, your brain has to work, you’re not just sitting on a bike. It’s amazing."
"Boxing is a great way to get aggression out," she adds. "You get a mental release of all this crap you’re taking into your ears and eyes every day and have little fantasy moments imagining who you’re actually punching. I’m just grateful it’s not actually the person, even though there’s one person. You know what I mean. It’s all good."
In Theroux's June interview with Men's Health, he also talked about his love for the sport.
"People get pissed, get emotional, and that’s kind of the point of sparring: Keep breathing, remain loose, not tense," he said.
She's thought about leaving Hollywood:
Despite her incredible career, Aniston admits there are times she's thought about quitting.
"I’ve never been someone who knows how to answer, 'Where do you see yourself in five years?'" she acknowledges. "I do know that lately I’ve had moments. The world we’re in is so challenging right now, the scrutiny, the way people interact. There’s just bad behavior around us a lot. There have been moments when I would just love to get out of Dodge and move to Switzerland -- or somewhere -- and start anew. Just have this sh** behind me. Does it really matter? Are we really doing anything? What is my life’s purpose?"
These days, she combats these feelings by being choosier on which films she undertakes.
"Every seven years I try to sum up what I am doing and what I want to make my focus," she shares. "I’m trying to make better choices. I went through a period of saying yes to projects that I shouldn’t have, but I felt like, 'How dare I say no?' Now I’m trying to get better at saying no and to be a part of projects that actually, really matter à la Dumplin’ or The Goree Girls or this other film we’re working on called The Fixer, about an amazing crisis manager named Denise White."
She's up for a Friends Reunion:
Aniston isn't shutting the door on the show that made her a star. When asked about a possible Friends reunion, the actress says she's up for it. She's also still close friends with former co-stars Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.
"Before that show ended, people were asking if we were coming back," she recalls. "Courteney [Cox] and Lisa [Kudrow] and I talk about it. I fantasize about it. It really was the greatest job I ever had. I don’t know what it would look like today, but you never know. So many shows are being successfully rebooted. I know Matt LeBlanc doesn’t want to be asked that question anymore. But maybe we could talk him into it. Or we just give it some time and then Lisa, Courteney, and I could reboot The Golden Girls and spend our last years together on wicker furniture."
She has a fear of flying:
Despite Aniston having to travel continuously thanks to her job, she reveals she isn't comfortable taking flights.
"It started in my 20s," she explains. "It was a weird, scary flight. Afterward I started noticing the stories on the news about plane crashes, and I became all-consumed with the idea of dying on an airplane. It was so out of control in my brain. So, yeah, that’s something I’d like to get rid of. It’s so irrational."
Last month, a source told ET that Aniston was starting to "casually date," following her split from Theroux.
"Jennifer has never felt she needed a man, but she loves love," the source said. "Jennifer is casually dating, but right now nothing serious. She is just having fun, seeing where things go."
For more on how Aniston has relied on her close friends since the breakup, watch the video below:
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