Interview 2: Mr Showbiz interview with Jennifer Aniston

"It's very bizarre to be in this position. You almost feel like you haven't earned this yet. It's a hard thing to pat yourself on the back."

Wasn't it about this time last year ago that your hair was what everyone was talking about?
Yeah, it was a big trend.

So did you consciously change your hair? Now it's parted and hanging loose below your shoulders.
I think it might have been a little bit conscious. But I was also just bored. It's very flattering to have people talk about your hair, though. And I was somebody who never loved my hair--I had curly hair and wished it were straight. I had bad hair days with the humidity. So it was sort of ironic to all of a sudden to have this hair be a fad.

Did you get lots of mail from young women sending pictures of their hair like yours?
Yeah. It was wild--and so flattering, I must say.

In terms of your impact on young women: what about your character in Picture Perfect, who jumps into bed with the wrong guy? Your director said the studio was much more concerned with the character's carnality, while you had no qualms. He said, "She knew what this was."

I knew, because it's not like this doesn't exist. It's like dirty words or seeing somebody naked--we all know what it is. We can pretend it's not there and show this perfect, politically correct image. Or we can show something real, which happens to people. I'm not saying that it's the right thing to do--God knows Kate learns that wasn't right, and that's what she gains from that experience. I think she made a big mistake but it wasn't her fault--she was thrown into this situation [of having a fake fiancT] by chance. I felt she was apologizing for it. [Director] Glenn [Gordon Caron] and I talked about that. Because she could come across as mean and manipulative and a bitch and I didn't want that. I wanted people to have compassion and relate to her and get it. That's a hard thing to do, to ride that line.

We, in the audience, realize that Mohr is the right guy very quickly. He's kind and considerate. Does this movie imply that nice guys are treated like doormats?
Yeah. And [women should] stop going for the bad guys. Stop looking so far when the good ones are right there.

I wondered as I watched this movie--though Jay Mohr is terrific--did you ever think of going to the studio, and saying, "Here's a tape of my boyfriend, Tate Donovan. What about his playing opposite me?"
Yeah. Tate would have been perfect for it. But when it's your first [starring] movie, there's an element of not wanting to have a relationship on-screen. That's where all the politics come into it. Eventually, we're going to do something together, because I'd love to work with him as an actor. But there's something about keeping your own identity and keeping your private stuff private. We understand that. No matter how perfect he is for that part--and he is!--that's just not the way it should go.

In TV Guide's recent story on you, Tate bounds in the room as you're saying, "I don't want to discuss my relationship." It's very funny. But is it hard to keep this thing private?
It's a strange thing. All of a sudden on your second date, you're reading that you're engaged before you've even decided whether you want another date. It's a very weird thing, and that's why people cherish their privacy so much. Especially when they're starting a relationship. Because it's so hard to have a relationship, no matter what your career is. If you're in the public eye, that's a tough thing--especially when you don't know this person and you don't want to scare them away, because that can be very intimidating.

Do you worry this machine will take you away from yourself, change you?
No, because we've all seen this business chew people up and spit them out. I think I've learned from my family and friends that this is something I want to do, and do well. There's so much more to learn. It's very bizarre to be in this position. You almost feel like you haven't earned this yet. I want to wait until I get to a place where I can say, "Now I deserve all this." That will happen. But you have to look at what you've done. It's a hard thing to pat yourself on the back.

I've heard people who become famous feel unworthy.
It's something you can never understand until you feel it. You're surrounded by actors you look up to, and you wonder if you'll ever have a moment like that on the screen?

You've said you watch the dailies as you make a film. But you feel you shouldn't be watching them on your current movie, The Object of My Affection?
It's so different, it's not a rip-roaring comedy. It's not a date movie. It's a very different story about this woman whose best friend is gay and she ends up falling in love with him. She becomes pregnant with her boyfriend, but decides to have the baby and wants to raise it with her best friend, because they have this love. They want to make up their own rules. It doesn't quite work out that way.

I heard there was a lot of competition for the Object role.
Yup! I auditioned months before, when it had another life at another studio. Somebody else was attached. They had cast Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves--no, I don't remember who the other person was--and then it fell apart. Now I'd never gotten a letter from a director in my life, but [director Nicholas] Hytner wrote me after that audition. His letter said, "There are so many reasons why an actor is cast, and it's all political and had nothing to do with your talent. Someday, hopefully, we'll work together." It was the loveliest letter I've ever received and I thought it was so kind. There are so few kind people in the world, much less this business, who don't have some odd agenda. He's just such a wonderful man.

NOTE: This interview was obtained with permission from ABC News Internet Ventures

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