Jennifer Aniston became America's sweetheart thanks to her performance as the spoiled and charming Rachel Green in Friends. She stayed with the show for ten years, during which she slowly transitioned into movies with roles in romantic comedies like Picture Perfect and dramas like The Good Girl.
Since Friends ended in 2004, Aniston has become a bonafide movie star. She plays leading roles mostly in comedies like We're the Millers and Murder Mystery, although she sometimes plays critically acclaimed roles in dramas like Friends with Money and Cake. And while she'll always be Rachel Green to some people, her filmography shows that she's a versatile actress, unafraid to take risks with her career.
Rachel Is Best: Breakout Role
Before Friends, Aniston had only a few credits to her name. She starred in two quickly canceled TV shows, Molloy and Ferris Bueller, and had a leading role in the now infamous and critically panned horror movie Leprechaun, a project she now seemingly regrets.
In 1994, however, things changed after being cast in Friends. She became an overnight star, gaining worldwide recognition for her performance and becoming the show's breakout star. She soon ventured into movies, receiving her first starring vehicle in 1997's romantic comedy Picture Perfect. Without Friends, she is probably not where she is today.
Olivia Is Best: A New Side To This Friend
In 2006, Aniston starred in the independent drama Friends with Money. She plays Olivia, a young woman who has a hard time finding love and earning money. She's friends with three older and wealthier women, with whom she shares a meaningful but occasionally troubled relationship.
Aniston shares the screen with three powerhouse performers, Joan Cusack, Frances McDormand, and Catherine Keener. Yet, she manages to hold her own, providing the film with its most sympathetic and relatable character. Friends with Money came out shortly after Friends ended, signaling a promising beginning for Aniston's film career.
Rachel Is Best: Queen Of Hearts
Rachel's evolution from spoiled Long Island queen to top NYC fashion executive often ranks as one of the best character journeys on television. Her romance with Ross Geller also endeared her to millions of members in the audience, who spent ten years rooting for them to get together for good.
Rachel became synonymous with independence and accomplishment. She was a character who refused to compromise and worked her way up in a notoriously elitist and cutthroat business. '90s women admired and related to Rachel's struggle, empathizing with her search for love in the big city.
Justine Last Is Best: A Good Girl Indeed
In 2002, during the height of Friends' fame, Aniston starred in Miguel Arteta's independent drama The Good Girl. She played Justine Last, a reserved woman with depression who was dissatisfied with her life as a wife and big-box store worker.
Justine is a tricky character to play, one that goes against Aniston's good girl persona. The movie itself is a moving character study about a woman trapped in a prison of her own making, desperately trying to escape but not knowing exactly how. It still ranks as one of her best performances to date, mainly due to how unlikable she was willing to be.
Rachel Is Best: Fashion Icon
It's no secret that Rachel Green is one of television's most fashionable characters. She had a profound influence on '90s fashion, with Vogue writer Edward Barsamian crediting her with inspiring the "cool New York look." The character revived interest in plaid skirts, denim shirts, and dungarees during the decade, continuing to shape fashion well into the 2000s.
Rachel's hair is, of course, another vital element in her look. The now-famous Rachel haircut, which the character first used in the Season 1 episode "TOW the Evil Orthodontist," became a sensation with women. Even famous actresses like Scarlett Johansson, Rihanna, and Rachel McAdams wore variations of "the Rachel."
Julia Harris Is Best: Wickedly Hilarious
Aniston's first villainous role came in 2011 when she starred as one of the titular bosses from hell in Seth Gordon's Horrible Bosses. The actress plays Julia Harris, a sexually promiscuous and aggressive dentist who harasses her employee, played by Charlie Day.
The role marked a departure from Aniston's previous films. Julia is vile, inappropriate, politically incorrect, and even dangerous. Critics welcomed her bold take on the character, and she received her best reviews since The Good Girl almost a decade earlier.
Rachel Is Best: Critical & Commercial Acclaim
The show was a massive success with audiences. All ten seasons ended among the Top 10 of the final television season ratings, reaching the coveted first spot in its eighth season.
Friends was also a critical hit. The series received 62 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including six for Outstanding Comedy Series, winning once in 2002. Aniston herself won the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy and the 2002 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a TV Series Comedy. She earned four more nominations for the Emmy, two in Supporting and two in Lead.
Claire Bennett Is Best: Going Against Type
In 2014, Aniston received some of her best reviews thanks to the drama film Cake. She plays Claire Bennett, a woman who lives in chronic pain after surviving a car accident that killed her son. Heavily scarred, hostile, and addicted to pain medication, she becomes entangled with the widower of a woman in her support group who recently took her own life.
For her performance, Aniston received nominations for both the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Many believed it would lead to her first Oscar nomination, but she failed to make it all the way to the Kodak.
Rachel Is Best: Modern-Day Icon
Rachel Green is a beloved television icon. Many consider her one of the best characters in the history of sitcoms, right next to Samantha Stephens, Lucy Ricardo, and Mary Richards. In 2010, Entertainment Weekly ranked her the sixth greatest character of the past 20 years. In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter named her Hollywood's 29th favorite female character.
It's easy to see the appeal. Aniston made Rachel endearing, fascinating, sympathetic, relatable, and charming and made it look effortless. She's a character that continues to be appealing, almost thirty years after first gracing the small screen. In other words, she's a timeless television jewel.
Alex Levy Is Better: Tough As Nails
Aniston's latest television role might very well be the best performance of her career. As Alex levy, the long-time female anchor of the fictional Morning Show, Aniston is almost a revelation. Fierce, commanding, vulnerable, and flawed, Aniston gives a tour-de-force performance in a role that's not always easy to root for.
The Morning Show isn't perfect. Indeed, it often lacks the nuance necessary to handle its sensitive topics. However, the performances of the cast elevate the material, and Aniston leads the charge. It's the most assured performance of her career and the perfect showcase for her dramatic abilities.