Jennifer Aniston Said She Lost 30 Pounds To Land ‘Friends’ Role By Cutting Milkshakes And Gravy-Covered Fries
Jennifer Aniston was already a name in Hollywood by the early 1990s, but the actress revealed that before landing the role of a lifetime on Friends she needed to make one significant change — dropping 30 pounds.
In a new book marking the 25th anniversary of the now-legendary sitcom, Aniston revealed a frank conversation that she had with her agent as she was looking to move beyond small parts and break out. The agent suggested that she could do well to drop some weight, which Aniston said was not entirely shocking given that she knew the nature of Hollywood through her dad, a famous soap opera actor.
As The Daily Mail noted, the admission was a major feature of the book, Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era.
“She had to lose 30 pounds if she wanted to stay in Hollywood,” Saul Austerlitz wrote in his book. “Los Angeles was a tough place to be an actress — it was a tough place to be a woman — and Jennifer Aniston’s agent was reluctantly leveling with her.”
The report noted that Aniston would have never been characterized as fat, but the old adage that “the camera adds 10 pounds” is true and she could have run into stumbling blocks if she wasn’t proactive in dropping some pounds.
While the quote didn’t come from Aniston herself, the report did note that she has been open in talking about her weight. In a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone, Aniston talked about the pressures to stay thin and her need to straighten out her diet.
“But my diet was terrible. Milk shakes and French fries with gravy,” Aniston said. “It was a good thing to start paying attention.”
Aniston landed her iconic role on Friends after dropping the weight. As The Inquisitr noted, she eventually eased back on her strict dietary rules, saying in a recent interview that she’s given up placing strict guidelines about what she can or can’t eat.
“I don’t let eating habits get out of control where I need a reset button. It’s pretty clear: Eat as much organic fruits and veggies as you can, keep sugar [intake] low, drink tons and tons of water, and get good sleep,” she shared.
After #MeToo, Jennifer Aniston and @ReeseW said they had to “start totally over and redevelop the show.” Everything you need to know about @appletv+’s @TheMorningShow in @EW — available free on ?News+. https://t.co/Nb1B9sXUW8 pic.twitter.com/OldNyK11jV
— Apple News (@AppleNews) September 16, 2019
Whatever Aniston is doing seems to work. The actress, who recently turned 50, has been praised for her seemingly ageless good looks and continues to remain a leading lady in Hollywood 15 years after Friends went off the air.
