Award-Winner Jennifer Aniston Reveals She Almost Lost The Role Of A Lifetime

The Santa Barbara Film Festival was the setting for Jennifer Aniston’s latest accomplishment. According to Daily Mail, Jennifer was awarded the Montecito Award, which is presented to performers who have made considerable contributions to film through performance and style. Jennifer Aniston is in good company. Oprah Winfrey, Daniel Day-Lewis, Kate Winslet, and Annette Bening have each been past winners of the Montecito Award.

Ms. Aniston was honored with the award for her career in general, but, more specifically, for her role as Claire Bennett in the drama Cake, the story of a woman who becomes intrigued by the suicide of a fellow member of her chronic pain support group.

During a special Q&A segment, Ms. Aniston revealed that producers of Friends had considered replacing her, due to Jennifer’s previous commitment with another sitcom, Muddling Through. Aniston, most notably known for her role as Rachel Green on the 1994 sitcom, revealed that she very nearly lost the role that would end up launching her success. Conflicting shooting schedules prompted Friends producers to consider other actresses for the Rachel Green role and Ms. Aniston revealed that she would hear, through girlfriends, that they were auditioning new actresses for the Friends part.

“They just took the chance that Muddling Through would fail after the two episodes they picked it up for,” Jennifer said. “And so I just started doing this back-and-forth from Sony to Warner Bros. for two weeks.”

As luck would have it, Muddling Through lasted only three months before it was cancelled, leaving Ms. Aniston free to claim her Friends role.

Jennifer also added that the producers’ intentions had been that Aniston would play Monica Geller and Courteney Cox would be cast in the Rachel Green role, reported People magazine.

“They wanted Courteney [Cox] to play Rachel,” stated Jennifer in the Q&A. “And unbeknownst to each other, I wanted to play Rachel and she wanted to play Monica. It worked out perfectly.”

Ms. Aniston hasn’t let the added attention of receiving awards for her performances interfere with her social life. Jennifer was seen enjoying a night out with a group of girlfriends on Thursday. Among the group of six women, Aniston was spotted with girlfriends Chelsea Handler and Sandra Bullock at Craig’s, a restaurant in West Hollywood.

Jennifer Aniston can be seen in She’s Funny That Way, also starring Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, and Quentin Tarantino, when it hits theaters on May 1. The comedy will be released in U.K. theaters on June 26.

Inquisitr recently reported on the rumors of Ms. Aniston’s engagement and impending wedding.