An interview with Jennifer and Tim Blake Nelson:

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Actors, producers and movie buffs are once again gathered in Utah for the annual Sundance Film Festival. The event is the country's top festival for independent films. It's backed by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute, which helps support young filmmakers, independent ones. Redford today unveiled a new cable network devoted to non-fiction film. Joining us now to talk about one of the movies featured at this year's Sundance Film Festival are the stars of "The Good Girl," Jennifer Aniston and Tim Blake Nelson. Hi, you guys, thanks for joining us.

JENNIFER ANISTON, ACTRESS: Hi.

TIM BLAKE NELSON, ACTOR: Thank you for having us.

LIN: It looks really cold out there. I am sorry for putting you out there.

ANISTON: It's really cold, but it's charming.

LIN: Let's try to warm the audience by talking about your latest film. Jennifer, this is supposed to be the story of Justine, you play Justine, she is 30-year-old, a wife and she works at a Texas discount store. What makes her the good girl?

ANISTON: That's right. Just sort of, it is a very loaded statement, actually. That will be up to interpretation, I'm sure. Basically she's just kind of come to this place in her life where she's just sort of stuck and depressed. It's sort of beautiful movie about depression and just losing and rediscovering passion again. And you know, -- in an effort to find that and find something that's exciting, she meets this young man and it just sorts of snowballs into a big bad mess.

LIN: Yes, big bad mess.

ANISTON: Without any help from you.

LIN: Tim, do you play the husband?

NELSON: No. I play the best friend of the husband whom she cuckholds, and when I find out she's having an affair on her husband, I blackmail her into having an affair with me.

ANISTON: Nice friend. It's the feel weird movie of the year.

NELSON: Justine, Jennifer's character gets into a real mess.

LIN: Yeah, a real mess. Jennifer, this is real departure from your normal squeaky-clean image, isn't it?

ANISTON: Yes. I guess so. It really is. Miguel took a big chance and I thank him for this, you know, opportunity as you sort of, you find yourself successful in say "Friends" for me. You get -- people want you to do a certain thing and play a certain part and for me, it was really important to just know that I could do something else for my own self.

LIN: You've really stripped yourself bare in this movie. You don't go for the glamorous role, you really take yourself down, the hair is hanging, not a lot of makeup, not a lot of glamour there.

ANISTON: Not a vanity piece.

LIN: Is this a healthy departure for you and your career in Hollywood since we have this locked-in image of you?

ANISTON: You know on the career front I can't say because it hasn't happened yet. But for me, it was a priceless experience and something I had to do.

NELSON: What is extraordinary about Jennifer that people see in the movie, is that she was brave enough to completely depart from what people think they know about her as an actress. It's an incredible performance.

ANISTON: That's sweet, thank you, Tim.

LIN: We are rolling a clip right now.

ANISTON: Are we not on, because I'm going to gush on my co-star.

LIN: Speaking of your co-star, Tim, we were talking about image there, I mean, for you, your own press release, I am going to read, this is the press release that we got describing you, it describes you as the gangly dark-haired performer. That's how some press agent came up with a description of you.

NELSON: Wow. You know what? I think that's great. Call me whatever you want. I just feel lucky to be able to be in films at all, and to have the kind of career I'm having and to get to act with people like Jennifer Aniston.

LIN: How much of a departure is this for you? You're really known for Delmar, in "Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?"

NELSON: Right.

LIN: So how big a departure is this role for you?

NELSON: It's pretty significant departure. You know, it is another southern character, but where Delmar was, I think, very sweet and innocent, this character isn't so innocent. In fact he does some pretty damaging things in this film.

ANISTON: But yet you have no judgment. It's amazing, it is played with such, you know, -- your heart breaks for this character. That's what's so wild about watching the performances. You do, your heart breaks and you feel and you understand why he does what he does. Pinch myself.

LIN: Jennifer, but what -- I know you're an actor and you probably draw in lot of resources, what, in your own personal experiences can you draw on that brings you into this character?

ANISTON: Oh, gosh. I mean, many things. I think we've all experienced a form of what this character is going through. You know. And Mike White gave us the shell and gave the character and wrote such a powerful beautiful tragic woman. I kind of filled in the shoes, you know, and -- it's universal, these feelings, I think. I kind of took whether it be family or my own upbringing or moments that I've experienced myself, I don't really know.

LIN: Did you learn about yourself through this experience?

ANISTON: I'm sorry. I just realized I couldn't move my mouth while I was...

LIN: I know, that happens.

(CROSSTALK)

LIN: But I'm wondering, do you learn about yourselves in filming a film like this? What did you learn about yourself?

ANISTON: Gosh, that's like an hour interview.

LIN: We'll give it to you.

ANISTON: Myself, my self-awareness, my epiphanies on myself that I've had. But it's too long and involved. Ask Tim something.

LIN: Tim, what do you think?

NELSON: Lots of secrets. I guess you end up trying to play a role as honestly as you know how. Particularly when the writing is as good as the writing is in the film. When you have a director like Miguel Arteta, sometimes you don't even know specifically what it is you're drawing on. But you try to keep your choices as an actor as personal and honest as possible.

ANISTON: Exactly. What he said.

LIN: You like what he said.

ANISTON: It's true. We didn't stray from the script. It was there, there was nothing -- you didn't have to work very hard. It was there. You know, it was brilliantly written. Miguel is so delicate and the tone of this movie is, it represents Miguel and who he is in his soul and his heart. I think that's why you're able to watch these people make some pretty intense decisions and choices in their lives, you may go, whoa!? And yet you feel empathy, you feel compassion for them, you don't judge them, you know? That's an amazing feat that I think he accomplished.

LIN: How would you like to be judged in this role, Jennifer?

ANISTON: I don't want to be judged ever. Please, don't judge me.

LIN: It's so inevitable as actor, isn't it?

ANISTON: It is, isn't it. Let them take -- I'm open to anything. I don't have a very -- I'm not too delicate. I'm not glass.

NELSON: I think this festival is about celebrating filmmakers who look at film making as an art, not a money-making machine.

ANISTON: Yes and it's exciting there is support here. It's cool.

NELSON: And we're fitting into someone's vision. In this case the writer Mike White and the director Miguel Arteta. I think that, I'll speak for both of us, we want to be judged as having served their vision in an honest fashion. We're proud to be a part of this film.

LIN: I have to ask you, Jennifer, what did Brad think about the film?

ANISTON: He dug it a lot. He cried.

LIN: I bet he's real proud of you. Thank you for joining us. Jennifer Aniston, Tim Blake Nelson, it is a pleasure to meet both of you.