Jennifer Anniston Used Humor to Cope with Dyslexia in School, Was "Always the Class Clown"

Our very own Rachel Green, aka Jennifer Aniston from the hit American sitcom Friends, clearly outshone her co-stars with her ultimate comedy timing. It's been 29 years since the show aired, but Aniston left an unforgettable mark in people's hearts. Although her success is unparalleled, her classmates knew of it because for them she was always a "class clown." 

Aniston appeared in many other TV shows and movies, including Bruce Almighty, The Morning Show, and We're The Millers. In all these years, one thing has been established: the actress was born with a comedic bone, reported The Things. Her humor and spontaneity are something she had since childhood. 

The world figured out her expertise in comedy rather late because many people didn't know she was destined to become a comedic success one way or another. So what exactly contributed to the 54-year-old actress's unfathomable success: her natural sense of humor or her acting skills? 

Apparently, many people think her comedic expertise was revealed to the world after she landed a role in Friends; however, that's not the case. She starred in several sitcoms and was chosen for other comedy roles from her career's inception. Her first role was in the show Molloy, which only aired for seven episodes in 1990. Of course, the show wasn't as huge a success, but it was enough to put Aniston in a prime position. Next up, she worked in a comedy film called She's The One in 1996. The movie was her first-ever comedy role. However, It was undoubtedly Friends that established her as a comedy star. 

The show had several unscripted moments which required spontaneity and on-the-spot improvisation. Other actors like Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the show, suggested new lines that cracked up the audience the most. Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey Tribbiani, and Aniston also delivered some unscripted lines in the show. One such line was in season six in the episode 'The One After Vegas' where Aniston said, "Come on Ross, this is not a marriage; this is the world's worst hangover." This impromptu line drew so many laughs that during post-production, editors had to edit out some laughter sounds so the audience could hear the lines. 

After the eternal success of the show, Aniston did more comedic roles, but some of them didn't do well at the box office, including Friends With Money, She's Funny That Way, and Management, while others like Marley & Me, Horrible Bosses, and Murder Mystery witnessed immense success. 

As it mostly happens, much of the talent seen as adults has some childhood background. So was the case with Aniston. Her classmates weren't surprised to see her perform well as a comedy artist because she was a "class clown." 

The actress was renowned for her sense of humor in school, and surprisingly, this was due to her dyslexia. Although she wasn't diagnosed until her twenties, she struggled with schoolwork, so she resorted to humor to cope with the chronic condition. 

In fact, in one of Rolling Stone's articles titled How a class clown became Hollywood's hottest chick, she believed it's a blessing to make other people laugh and admitted, "I do know that funny was always good. And I made everybody laugh." 

References: 

https://www.thethings.com/does-jennifer-aniston-like-doing-comedy/#jennifer-aniston-was-always-the-class-clown

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/interview-jennifer-aniston-171848/

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/how-jennifer-aniston-outshone-co-24189041