Aniston’s Most Candid Interview Ever

Jennifer Aniston has had enough of our ‘poor Jen’ crap. At this point in her career, quite frankly, she just ‘give a sh*t’. Gone are the days where she’d get caught up in the media’s ongoing narrative that depicts her as the??Poor, Sorry, Sad in Love Jen?. At 45 , she’s all about the here and now, the people that matter and the things that count.

In a brilliant interview with Harper’s Bazaar, for which she graces the December cover, Aniston speaks candidly and openly about her high profile relationship with Justin Theroux, the learning curve that brought her to this wonderfully assured point in her life, and, testament to her ability to laugh it all off, those people she’d like to punch – ?Ah, there are some people I would punch. I’d do that to a paparazzo probably.?

On the subject of the pitiful spotlight that’s followed her ever since Brad flew the coop for Angelina, Aniston says:

?I think people are starting to feel like, Are we that stupid?? Seriously. How many times can I be out there in the world, enjoying my life, and yet the narrative is ?Poor, Sorry, Sad in Love Jen??? whatever the stupid headline is… It’s the detachment from it. There was a part of me that used to get very upset. I was guilty of getting too up in arms about stuff that wasn’t real, phantom boxing with’something?that’s not even there. Now I’d rather just focus on people and things that are here, happening, and what’s yet to come. My friends, my family, wonderful people I work with. We know what the real is.?

On her latest role in Cake as a woman suffering from chronic pain , one that’s already being touted as an Oscar contender, Aniston says:

“It was the most challenging part I’ve ever done, and also one of the most rewarding and fulfilling. There was struggle involved.?You know, I don’t know if I would have been able to do it five or 10 years ago. But I was ready to challenge myself.”

But of course, if she wasn’t bothered with a challenge, she’s got more than enough romantic comedy experience to keep her going. On that possible career trajectory, Aniston says: “Ha! That sounds like a terribly boring existence… I love doing comedies, though. It takes skill to bring that joy.”

Clearly, Jennifer’s utter adoration for her life partner, Justin Theroux, is largely responsible for her newfound sense of ease. The actress has no qualms in expressing her love for him during the interview. “It’s almost impossible to?get bored?with one another. We’ve tried so hard! And even that’s interesting because his eyes are so pretty, but we can entertain ourselves and talk about endless things, which is pretty great…?Not only is he a great actor but he’s one of the best comedy writers out there. And he directs and paints murals. And I just think it’s so attractive to be that good at so many things and to have no ego. He’s one of the most humble, decent human beings. He’s not an ass. He’s not like some of our friends who are young and up-and-coming and they hit celebrity, and all of a sudden you’re like, ?Oh! You’re different. Now you don’t say hi to people?'”

On the subject of getting older, Jen jokes:

?When am I supposed to freak out? When am I supposed to feel like, ?Oh, my knee! Oh, ouch!? I don’t feel any of those things! I feel like our aging marker needs to be rejiggered. I heard Halle Berry refer to her pregnancy at 47 as a ?geriatric pregnancy,? which is ridiculous! It’s insulting. Obviously, as women we’ve evolved. My eyesight is sh-t, though. I already was nearsighted, but now I can’t see anything.?

Lastly, though the entire interview is well worth a read, on her somewhat turbulent journey of self discovery, Aniston muses: ?It really helped me get to a place where I was more comfortable with myself, truly ready for love and for a partner. The past wasn’t ?less than.? It was extremely important to my growth as a woman. But if you take the law of attraction, if you only love yourself 70 percent, that’s what’s going to come back to you. So you fill up that 30 percent, then all of a sudden there’s this pure, good love standing right in front of you. Then you realize, ?Oh, this can be easy! It doesn’t have to be so hard.? ?

With this in mind, can we all just reframe that tired image of Jennifer Aniston that we’ve carried around for so long, for which many a tabloid headline’s to blame? Sure at one point in her life she may have been a bit blue, but she’s a human being, for chrissakes. She has ups and downs like the rest of us, however we’re the lucky ones not to have it magnified by the media.

She’s fine now. She’s more than fine. She’s content.

@CarolineForan