One Hollywood’s most beloved actresses, Jennifer Aniston, is taking on the role of cover girl for the September issue of Glamour magazine.
The starlet sat down with Saturday Night Live’s Jason Sudeikis in her Los Angeles home to dish on what’s going on in Aniston’s world, like her new movie “We’re the Millers.” In fact, the actress and the interviewee are starring in the film together, which debuts Aug. 7. America’s favorite Friend also chatted with her co-star and real-life friend about advice she would have given her self years ago and actress Olivia Wilde‘s controversial monologue piece she performed last year.
Here’s an excerpt from Jen and Jason’s conversation:
JASON SUDEIKIS: One of the nice things about this movie—and we have now done three together—is that in this one we have a child. In the movie, your character is learning to access her parental instincts. I would argue women are better at that.
Jennifer Aniston: I think that’s just you! I know Justin, for instance, has extremely amazing paternal instincts. Because [growing up] he had to sort of become the parent. I think when you have to become the parent when you’re a younger person, you learn those instincts.
JASON: I noticed on set that you had very maternal instincts with [costar] Emma Roberts.
Jennifer: I did. But she’s wise beyond her years.
JASON: Is that a role that you grew into, or did you find yourself doing that all throughout your life?
Jennifer: I think I’ve done it all throughout my life.
JASON: There’s also a perception of you as being such a gal’s gal. Your ladies love you and the way you take care of people. Like, you’ll sort of point-guard parties and get-togethers.
Jennifer: I love doing that.
JASON: It comes across. I mean, truth be told, you wrote Olivia a really, really kind email last year.
Jennifer: You’ve got a good girl. She’s lovely.
JASON: I know. She’s something else. You were so nice when she got a lot of flak for a monologue she performed. [At a 2012 Glamour event—Wilde had written a candid piece about her divorce and her sex life.]
Jennifer: Well, that was because I felt so strongly about it, when I heard what she was going through. I was so pissed. Because I related to it—I related to that f–king feeling of people just wanting to rip down the powerful, beautiful woman who [speaks her mind].
JASON: And they took what she said out of context.
Jennifer: Stuff like that’s so sh-tty. I don’t like injustice. We’re living in a time where, whether it’s the Internet or tabloids, being sh-tty has become a sport. We’re just grown-up bullies. We literally could not need to have our hearts more open than in these times.
JASON: And there are so many things trying to keep us from doing that. OK, advice time. What would you tell yourself at various ages—like your teens, twenties, thirties, and early forties?
Jennifer: Yes, early forties. [Laughs.]
JASON: What would you tell the teenage you?
Jennifer: Don’t try so hard. Pay attention. Do your homework. Go to class.
JASON: What would you tell your 20-year-old self?
Jennifer: Not to fret so much. I did OK in my twenties.
JASON: Thirties.
Jennifer: Thirties. Thirties. Go to therapy. Clean up all of the sh-t. Clean up all of the toxins and the noise. Understand who you are. Educate yourself on the self.
JASON: Yeah. Because at that point, anything that you thought was just a habit is actually you.
Jennifer: [But] you can undo a lot of things. If you’re not happy, you can become happy. Happiness is a choice. That’s the thing I really feel. Like with friends who refuse to get happy, who refuse to rise above the discomfort of where they’re at.
JASON: Yeah. They just get used to it. It’s almost like your character Rose from We’re the Millers. “This is all I deserve” kind of thinking. It’s like, no, you deserve—
Jennifer: You actually deserve to have a family. And once you meet yourself, and truly love yourself, then you attract that. And look—I mean, the two of us have found these two, beautiful, loving, open people.
JASON: We have a similar timeline. We both went through the same thing. I mean, I would hear you talk about [guys you were dating], and I’d be like, “Oh, f–k. I don’t want to be like that to somebody else.”
Jennifer: Yeah. Yeah. And look how far we’ve come! High five! [They high-five.]
To read the entire story, pick up a copy of Glamour magazine when it hits newsstands nationwide Aug. 6. It will be sure to be a treat.
See this slideshow of Jennifer on glamour.com.
– Najja Parker
Photo: Alexei Hay
