Cosmopolitan
August, 1997
Photography by:
Mike Guastella-Star File Robert Fleischauer-Lamoine, Bill Davila-Retena, Lawrence Schwartz-Sygma, Alex Olivera-Globe Photos, A. Berliner-Gamma-Liaison, John Paschal, Miranda Shen, Lisa O'Connor, Janet Gough-Celebrity Photos

Three years ago, Friends put the actress who plays Rachel on everyone�s Ms. Congeniality list. Now starring in the film Picture Perfect, out this month, she�s answered 34 questions from Cosmo readers on everything from the love of her life to her biggest fear. Just don�t ask her about the haircut.

 

It�s summer hiatus for the cast of Friends, and Jennifer Aniston has just returned from a super deluxe bike trip through Provence. �It was great having a chance to clear the brain,� says the 28-year-old actress of cycling 30 to 50 miles per day. Yeah, it was gruelling�what with all that French food and wine�but now it�s back to business. And the business at hand is whether or not Rachel and Ross will get back together.
In the show�s season finale last May, Ross was torn between our heroine, Rachel, and the oversexed and bald�yes, bald�rival for his affections, Bonnie. �I don�t know who Ross is going to choose,� Aniston claims. �I don�t even think the writers know. Personally, I�d like him to come back to Rachel�on his hands and knees, begging.�
Aniston is equally decisive about her career. With a new movie out this month, the romantic comedy Picture Perfect, costarring Kevin Bacon, the actress is finding out that the advice her dad, veteran soap actor John Aniston, gave her years ago is true, �It�s a business,� said the senior Aniston, who played Victor Kiriakis on Days Of Our Lives for 12 years. �And I would say, �But it�s a craft! It�s my art! And of course, you learn quickly that it�s both.� For times when the pressure of the business gets to be too much�like when the tabloid television show Hard Copy ran a video of the actress playing spin the bottle as a teenager�Ansiton leans her boyfriend of a year and half, actor Tate Donovan, who accompanied on that taxing bicycle trip through the French countryside.
But vacation was a long time ago. Soon it will be time to go back to work taping the new season. As per usual, the cast will laugh off tabloid reports�false, of course�about leuding on the set, the female Friends will trade fashion tips, and Matthew Perry will tease Aniston about her driving. As Perry says, �Let�s just say you want to think twice before getting into a car with her.� With Friends like these, who needs friends?

So is David Schwimmer a good kisser? --Erika, Los Angeles
Jennifer: He�s awful! (Laughs) No, he�s a great kisser.

Are the Friends cast members really friends? --Camille, Buffalo
Jennifer: Oh, absolutely ! I was friends with Matthew Perry even before the show. And we all clicked shooting the pilot.

Of the three guys on the show, whom would you fall for in real life? --Cindy, Madrid, New Mexico
Jennifer: I�ve gone for each type: the tough guy, the nerdy, sweet, loveable guy; and the slick guy. I don�t really have a type. I have to say men in general are a good thing.

What quality do you like most in a man? --Pamela, San Francisco
Jennifer: Kindness, chivalry, honesty, and a good sense of humor.

Do you and your character Rachel have a lot in common? --Stacy, New Orleans
Jennifer: I love clothes! That�s about it.

How do you get into Rachel mode? --Jane, Brattleboro, Vermont
Jennifer: You think of every rich Connecticut girl you ever came across.

The Seinfeld cast signed contracts for a record $600,000 per episode. Is the Friends cast going �Hey, time for a raise?� --Anne, Mobile, Alabama
Jennifer: No, we�re all going �How come they didn�t get as much s*** as we did (when we were negotiating)?� We got so much. We never threatened to strike. The six of us wanted to be paid the same amount because we all work the same amount as each other. In our case, it was twisted into �Look at these brats demanding all this money.� So good for them. It�s setting a pretty heavy precedent.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you? --Jean, Newport, Rhode Island
Jennifer : That I�m pretty insecure. Oh, and that I actually have very curly hair.

Do the paparazzi ever get to you? --Esther, Lynn, Massachusetts
Jennifer: It�s so strange with these videographers. They�re like a silent eye, and it scares you. And I�ve seen footage of me that I was like �Where did they come up with that?� Yech!

How difficult is it to do love scenes? --Nerina, Atlanta
Jennifer: It�s weird. It�s like the most bizarre job in the world. You�re introduced to someone; �Hi, how are you?� Now let�s get into bed and make love�and a hundred people are watching! But it has to be okay, because it�s the job.

Would you ever do a nude scene? --Joana, Atlantic City
Jennifer: I�m not opposed to it if it�s necessary. (Pauses) Old movies used to leave so much to the imagination; it was so romantic.

What�s the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you? --Brandy, Cincinatti
Jennifer: I was shooting the show one night, and I came into my room during a scene and there was an Australian sheepdog puppy with a big red bow. My little Enzo. He�s a good boy. He was a Valentine�s gift from Tate.

Where did you and Tate meet? --Janet, Gary, Indiana
Jennifer: We met at a bar, funny enough. A mutual friend had set us up.

Is it difficult being imvolved with an actor? --Rosemary, Seattle
Jennifer: No, it�s easy. We help and support each other. There�s no competition or jealousy. Tate understands what I�m going through. He�s such a great actor. It�s great to be so impressed with your partner.

Do you and Tate read lines together, like for his title role in the new film Hercules? --Alex, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jennifer: There are definitely times when we do that. I don�t feel nervous in front of him at all. And I just love that I�m dating a god.

Do you want children? And if so, when? --Carmen, Santa Monica, California
Jennifer: Yes, absolutely. I�ve always said I�d like about three kids. I love everything about them. Their backs, necks, smell, all their fits. I want to be a young mom too. I�m not ready now, but in a couple of years�

Why do you think your relationship with Tate works? --Cindy, Salt lake City
Jennifer: Communication. Total honesty. Neither one of us has ever explored that far as we have now, and it�s the key. And respect.

How did your parents� split-up affect you? And how old were you when it happened? --Molly, Irving, Texas
Jennifer: Nine years old. It was tough, like any seperation is tough. Your self-esteem and everything is sort of formed by your parents, and if that�s no so stable, you�re going to be a bit off-kilter. I started looking into all that in my early 20s, and I�m only realizing now that I didn�t do too well. It didn�t feel great.

What did you want to be when you were growing up? --Lauren, Boston
Jennifer: A psychiatrist. Because for some reason, I was always the one people would drag into the locker room and say (intense whisper), � I�ve got to talk to you!�

If you weren�t acting, what would you be doing professionally? --Kerri, Houston, Texas
Jennifer: Wishing I was an actress! Something in the arts�on the other end maybe. Something creative. Marrying rich. (Laughs)

Was there ever a time in your life when you were living a Friends-like lifestyle? --Lynn, Kent, Ohio
Jennifer: Absolutely. In fact, we were called the Hill People. We (a group of aspiring actors) lived on the same street up in Laurel Canyon (in Los Angeles). We always hung out together, and we were very incestuous, very concerned about each other. Everyone was involved in everyone else�s life. Eventually, I had to move away because you get to a point where you don�t want everyone knowing every single minute and movement of your life.

Whom do you admire? --Judy, Lexington, Kentucky
Jennifer: Me grandmother. She�s a strong woman who led a difficult life. She came from Greece with her children, and she made a beautiful home and raised an amazing family.

What did you like about kate, your ad-executive character in Picture Perfect? --Eve, Erie, Pennsylvania
Jennifer: She�s a good girl who just went �F*** it, I�m going to do something crazy.� She takes some heavy chances and acts almost male as opposed to female in terms of doing something a little sly to get what she wants.

Do you prefer working on TV or films? --Zoe, Corpus Christi, Texas
Jennifer: They�re so different. Working on a sitcom is, of course, the more familiar. The schedule is a lot easier. Although the work isn�t necessarily easier. But like everything, if you do it enough, it becomes part of second nature. Films are much more of a challenge. Besides the hours, your focus is much more intense. You�re constantly tracking your character because you shoot out of sequence, as opposed to television, where you work from beginning to end. I love them both.

Whom do you want to work with and why? --Toni, Binghamton, New York
Jennifer: There are so many people! I would love to work with Diane Keaton; I think she�s just wonderful. Judy Davis, Tom Hanks, and Scott Hicks, the director of Shine.

What�s your greatest accomplishment? --Gwen, Portland, Oregon
Jennifer: Definitely it�s been my career. Doing it pretty much on my own.

Are there pluses and minuses to fame? --Francis, Butte, Montana
Jennifer: It�s a hard shift. It�s like learning to walk again. When you�re a celebrity, all of a sudden your opinion matters. People want to know what your views are, so they better be damn good and make sense.

How, if at all, has fame affected your personal relationships? --Kim, Chicago
Jennifer: It�s just a completely different world. People tend to assume you�re different, so they behave differently. I feel frustrated a lot, not having the time to connect with people in my life who mean a lot to me. I just do the best I can.

What is your greatest fear? --Shannon, Orlando, Florida
Jennifer: I�m fearful of becoming too wrapped up in myself and sort of unconscious, or not sensitive, of others.

Looking back, do you have any regrets? --Kristin, Eugene, Oregon
Jennifer: Things were tough, and you always say �God, I wish I did that differently,� I wish I had been better as a teenager to my mom. But I�m kind of grateful for everything difficult that happened; it creates drive.

Do you collect anything? --Sherry, Lansing, Michigan
Jennifer: I love antiques. I love making something like an old tub into a flower holder.

How do you relax? --Chloe, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Jennifer: Go away, usually. I love to take drives. I don�t get to do it very often. I get a massage and go to the hot springs. Get in the sun, be with friends. Or just relax at home.

When are you going to get married? --Sofia, Franklin, New Hampshire
Jennifer: I don�t know.

Do you ever stop and say to yourself Wow, is this really my life? --Trez, Northampton, Massachusetts
Jennifer: Mmm-hmm. Sometimes I feel like I still have so much further to go to be a better actor. You almost want to wait and save the fame until you�re better at it.