Over the years, veteran actress Jennifer Aniston has portrayed so many roles that there more than enough to determine which Aniston character you are most like. If you think about it, she is one actress who has been around for years, ever since she rose to fame after starring in the hit sitcom Friends.
Since then, fans have become invested in both her work and personal life. Nonetheless, this interest hasn’t always translated to box office success.
Office Space - $10,827,810
This 1999 film is still one of the funniest work-related comedies ever released. It centers around Ron Livingston’s Peter Gibbons, who has to deal with Gary Cole’s Bill Lumbergh, one of the best comedy villains ever in a film.
In Office Space, Aniston portrays Joanna, a Chotchkie’s waitress that Peter eventually dates. One of the lesser-known facts about the film is that prompted T.G.I. Fridays to remove "flair" from its uniform. The film's writer and director, Mike Judge, told Variety that they “got rid of all that flair because people would come in and make cracks about it.”
Leprechaun - $8,556,940
One of the most interesting pieces of trivia behind Leprechaun is that this 1993 film marked Aniston’s film debut, although she had an uncredited role in an 80s film called Mac and Me. Back then, Aniston thought starring in the horror film was a “big deal.”
Aniston discussed the film while on The Howard Stern Show, saying, “I really thought I arrived when I did Leprechaun. It was with Warwick Davis, the guy from Willow was in it. It was a big deal!”
She’s Funny That Way - $6,034,851
The 2014 film revolves around a director (played by Owen Wilson) who decides to cast a sex-worker-turned-actress to star opposite his wife and his wife’s ex-lover. When this project first came to Aniston, the idea was that she would play Wilson’s wife. However, the Friends actress had other ideas.
“I offered it to Jennifer Aniston and she said, ‘I don’t want to play the wife, I want to play the therapist,’” the film’s director, Peter Bogdanovich, told RogerEbert.com. “That was okay with me …” Actress Kathryn Hahn eventually played the wife.
‘Til There Was You - $3,525,125
This 1997 rom-com stars Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dylan McDermott, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. Its story revolves around two strangers whose paths always seem to cross over the years. The plot may sound amusing, but critics weren’t impressed.
In the end, it only earned a rating of 5% on Rotten Tomatoes. A review from People Magazine also noted that the film’s cast “deserve[d] a better vehicle.” At the box office, the film didn’t fare any better. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to affect McDermott's, Parker's, or Aniston’s careers.
Management - $2,555,950
In this 2009 film, Aniston stars as a traveling saleswoman who specializes in selling cheap art. As she does, she ends up encountering a motel manager who refuses to leave her alone. Aside from Aniston, the film also stars Margo Martindale, Woody Harrelson, and Steve Zahn as the motel manager.
The movie may not have done well at the box office, but fans have noted Aniston’s incredible chemistry with Zahn in the movie. While speaking with Tribute Movies, the actress remarked that they just “love each other.”
Cake - $2,360,281
Aniston stars in this critically acclaimed 2014 drama as a woman who becomes fixated with the suicide of another woman (played by Anna Kendrick) in her support group. For the actress, doing a film like this was a gamble, considering that fans still associated her with Friends back then.
“You have to do something really dark to be taken seriously, I guess,” Aniston told New York Times. In Cake, Aniston’s character suffers from chronic pain and that is an aspect of the character that she had to intensely prepare for.
Life Of Crime - $1,456,675
In this 2014 film, two criminals decide to kidnap the wife of a real-estate developer, only to realize later on that her husband doesn’t want her back. In the film, Aniston plays the wife who gets kidnapped and she didn’t do any preparation for that part of the story.
“I just let them hurt me,” she told Collider. “That’s the best way to get a real reaction it turns out.” Despite the lackluster box office performance, Life of Crime is considered one of Aniston’s 10 greatest films, according to critics’ reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dumplin - $399,198
Based on a novel, Dumplin’ is another film that sees Aniston depart from romantic comedies. She became immediately attached to the film since the script was written by Kristin Hahn, Aniston’s producing partner.
Dumplin’ sees Aniston play a former teenage beauty queen, whose plus-size teenage daughter signs up for her mom’s pageant as a sign of protest. While speaking with Elle, Aniston admitted that the “challenging upbringing” that she experienced partly convinced her to take on the role. While it didn’t pull in impressive numbers at the box office, Dumplin’ was later acquired by Netflix.
The Yellow Birds - $57,946
Also produced by Aniston, the story in The Yellow Birds centers on two young soldiers, Bartle and Murph, who go to the Gulf War. As they try to survive, Bartle struggles to keep a promise he made to Murph’s mother.
Aniston plays Murph’s mom and she was immediately drawn to the film the moment she read its “gut-wrenching script.” “I fell in love with the whole idea of it,” the veteran actress told Variety. “When they asked me to play one of the mothers, I said: ‘Of course.’” The film made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
Dream For An Insomniac - $24,727
This 1996 rom-com is another one of Aniston’s earlier works and it revolves around an aspiring actress named Frankie who meets her ideal man. The problem is she only has three days to convince him that they should be together.
Aniston plays a supporting role in the film as Frankie’s best friend, Allison. Dream for an Insomniac is cute and even funny at times, but it is not exactly impressive. In the end, critics weren’t too happy the film didn’t make much money domestically. Perhaps, it could have earned a bit more in the international market.