Jennifer Aniston Confesses That She Was 'Terrible' During Auditions : "I Waitressed Forever"

Jennifer Aniston has made an impressive career in Hollywood with Forbes naming her one of the highest-paid actresses of all time. The Friends alum boasts of a $28 million payday in the industry. However, during the recent Drama Actress Roundtable by The Hollywood Reporter Aniston confessed that she was not good at giving auditions. "I’m a terrible auditioner, always was. I waitressed forever before I could finally get something, which was a Bob’s Big Boy commercial", she shared. 

Aniston continued, "Also, when you’re in an audition room, you’re already at a disadvantage. Maybe you’d have chemistry with this person if you were in a different environment and not, like, “Create chemistry. Ready? Go! So, if you’re a nervous auditioner to begin with, to then say, “Now let’s have you make out with a complete stranger,” it’s very uncomfortable." The Murder Mystery actress was joined in conversation by Anna Sawai, Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman, Jodie Foster, Brie Larson, and Sofía Vergara at the Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica. Watts agreed saying, "Some people are really good at auditioning, but I was shockingly bad too. I could feel the energy in the room where people were like, “Hurry this along.” I’d even go, “Yeah, don’t worry, I’m out of your way in one second."

"You don’t even have to look me in the eye and shake my hand.” It took meeting David Lynch, who’s a master of filmmaking, and he just sat and talked to me [for Mulholland Drive]. He said, “Tell me about yourself.” And I fell into it, this conversation. I was like, “Wait, really? You want to take time with me? You want to know shit about me and how I was raised and all of that?” And then I got the job. I didn’t even have to audition."

Aniston also revealed that she doesn't like to live in the character, "Well, living in that dark space as a comedian, ultimately, when I started, it’s really hard. That’s why I listen to SmartLess on my way to and from work [on Morning Show], just to laugh and get out of that [headspace]. I don’t live in my character, which I know some people do. I choose to just get rid of it as fast as I can. And then I usually say, when I’m done [with the season], “I need a comedy right now.” She added, "I was just going to say, every time I go to work, even when I start the next season of The Morning Show, I’ll think, “I don’t know how to do this.” It’s like I have absolutely zero memory of how to be an actor." She also talked about finding a community with fellow actresses that helped heal her trauma, "When we did that movie in Hawaii [2011’s Just Go With It], you (Kidman) helped me out on a lot of hard things that I was going through. Just to have that community, it’s very helpful."