Jennifer in "Love"

If you have ever lost a relationship that you might have thought would be "forever", then you can identify with popular actress Jennifer Aniston. This pretty, talented and tough young woman has done a fabulous job of making the old saying "success is the best revenge" ring very true. Jenn has a great track record in both TV and film and continues to draw large audiences to her warm, real and quirky personality no matter what character she inhabits. 

Aniston's latest character in the romantic drama Love Happens, is a relationship-bruised florist named Eloise, a nurturing, earth mother type who has sworn off men until she meets equally damaged self-help guru Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) who can't follow his own advice.  Sparks fly and the two start on the rocky road to couplesville because hey.....love just happens.

The two actors, who did not have any on-set or real world romance, did form a mutual admiration society. Aaron says about his co-star, "Jenn's such a better actor than I am. She's so effortless all the time. (I love) her timing and how playful she is and yet (she) can turn on a dime and just be so thoughtful".

We wanted to tap into those thoughts so we sat down with Jenn in Beverly Hills and got the latest on what she thinks about self-help books, her search for non-formula, more original romance scripts be they comedy or drama, her disastrous first dates, high school musical experience and her upcoming films. Jenn was looking slinky/stylish in a black crepe jersey top and skirt by Derek Lamb accessorized by gold neck chains, a huge gold watch and large gold and white disc dangle earrings.

TeenHollywood: This movie has a lot to say about dealing with grief. Are you looking for movies that have an edge like that, that have something more to offer?

Jennifer: More to offer, yes. I mean, wouldn’t anybody? I think people want to see that and it’s interesting for us to play that. There’s only so many ways to tell a romantic story and I think there are a lot of unexplored situations that actually happen in life that people don’t take advantage of. They come up with these crazy kind of high concept, formulaic ideas for a romantic comedy. (How do you) keep them apart as long as possible until the end when they can finally stop pretending to be my boyfriend and actually will be my boyfriend and we fooled everybody. I think I did that one 10 years ago. I think I did that a couple of times.

TeenHollywood: Do Eloise and Burke actually have to get together at the end of this movie?

Jennifer: Well, that was a question. There was actually a debate, but then there’s always certain people that want them to get together. You know, they do focus groups which is always fascinating to me. They bring all these people, as you know, and they basically ask them what they [think] and they’ll have an issue with an ending and creative choice is thrown out the window. I don’t know.

TeenHollywood: But, what did you think? It seems to me she serves her purpose in his life. They both get whatever they get out of each other. They don’t need to…

Jennifer: Right. They don’t need to. I agree with you. But, for The Break-Up, there was a period where they were like 'They need to get together.' And, we were like, 'It’s called The Break-Up.' It’s like you can’t get clearer than that. But I think you don’t really know either. It’s like 'Let’s have dinner again.' For all we know, the next day, they had that dinner and it just all went to hell. So, we don’t really know.

TeenHollywood: Is it frustrating when a focus group audience insists on an ending you really don't want?

Jennifer: Oh, yeah, yeah. It’s very frustrating. I know. 'I didn’t sign up for that'. Yeah, it’s a toughie, isn’t it? But, usually, actually, it is stuff that will better the film. That’s a rare moment that that happens when you’re like, 'What?! All of a sudden it’s an alien and not a ….' (Laughs) I mean, it’s not that extreme.

TeenHollywood: Aaron's character writes a "get over grief" self-help book in the film. Have you ever read a self-help book and if so, did it help?

Jennifer: I’m afraid to say what the truth is. I think you can read (them). There are so many out there. God knows. But there’s always one or two that you’re like 'That’s really interesting.' I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s oversaturated because we’re now feeding on the fact that people are in need of this. You can’t ask a question without it being analyzed into the ground and I think that’s good for certain things but breathe a little bit. Let life happen to you, you know?

TeenHollywood: Good advice. Your character has a disastrous first date with Aaron Eckhart’s character. Have you ever had a disastrous date in real life and, if so, what transpired?

Jennifer: I’ll just say luckily I haven’t had a horrible one (thinking) … well, just being bored (we laugh). I mean, it’s not that it was disastrous. It’s that thing where you just want to go home and they’re like, 'So, do you want to go somewhere afterwards?' and it’s like, 'No! I just really need to go home'.

TeenHollywood: Have you had a safety friend call you up you get you out of the date?

Jennifer: Oh God no. I haven’t done that but that’s really funny. That’s happened in The Break-Up too.

TeenHollywood: What does the character of Eloise see in Burke? What first draws her into getting involved with him?

Jennifer: I think she sees his vulnerability after the date when he basically confesses to how long it’s been since he’s done this, the loss of his wife, even though we don’t know (details) at that point, and just that he was vulnerable and that’s always sort of a nice jumping off point, like a springboard.

TeenHollywood: In this movie you see Burke's growth but, with your character, it's a little bit more difficult because her ex-boyfriend is only in for a scene. What has happened to her when she meets Burke?

Jennifer: Well, when she met Burke she's pretty pissed off. There's a whole storyline that was actually cut from the movie about her and her younger boyfriend. She chooses these guys that are just not quite available for fear of really growing into a relationship.  I think you always choose people that represent what it is that you're trying to sort of break through or are not willing to break through. I don't know.

TeenHollywood: There are always rumors about you and your male co-stars.

Jennifer: Every one. 

TeenHollywood:  How did you and Aaron manage to stay out of the media?

Jennifer:  I know!  You know it's so funny. Someone reminded us that there was the first meeting for lunch with the director. They took a picture of us in the restaurant and they said 'what's happening? Something must be happening. They're having lunch..God!'  But then they figured out that we were doing a movie together. I don't know what that is.

TeenHollywood: You talk about this National soap opera that plays out with celebrities. Are you able to laugh at a story that you aren't really part of?

Jennifer: Oh my God, yeah because now they are getting so creative and desperate, yeah.  It's really kind of interesting. It doesn't bug me if people don't believe it. That's all.  I just would hate it if people actually believed any of it. That's what I would be disappointed with because I don't want crap like that to distract from what I do, my work.

TeenHollywood: Could you talk a bit about working with Aaron?

Jennifer:  First of all, I'm such a fan of his and one of the main reasons I took the job was because I wanted to work with Aaron. He has the driest sense of humor. He is so entertaining. He's so into philosophy and psychology which I love. We talked for hours and he's a great photographer.  He's just interesting and I think he's so absolutely beautiful in this movie. Just beautiful and funny.  He's just a really entertaining person and an enjoyable person to spend time with.

TeenHollywood: Eloise has a quirky thing she does; she writes large words underneath pictures on hotel walls. Do you have any little interesting quirks or traditions like that yourself?  

Jennifer: Have you looked behind these paintings? (referring to the walls behind her). I need a pen. No, but you know what I do, do though?  If I walk onto an airplane, I always have to go on with my right foot first and tap the outside of the plane.

TeenHollywood: How long does that date back?

Jennifer: Till whenever the person told me to do it and I don't remember when that was.

TeenHollywood:  Eloise is also super earthy and tied to nature.  Are you like that? Do you garden for instance?

Jennifer: I do actually.  When I lived in Laurel Canyon, my girlfriend Rita, that was one of our favorite things to do was go to a nursery and plant our little garden make rock gardens and, in my houses, I always have a rose garden or something.

TeenHollywood: Is that something you added to the character that wasn't in the script?

Jennifer: No.  It just happened that she was like that.

TeenHollywood: I guess that's a simple pleasure that keeps you happy.

Jennifer:  Those little things.  It's that simple, the sort of Zen of having a rose garden and knowing where to pick and then taking them in and placing them; it's just something that's very relaxing.

TeenHollywood: We heard that you’re learning to play guitar and you’re going to sing in an upcoming movie called The Goree Girls? Are you a good singer?

Jennifer: I can carry a tune. I don’t know yet. Here’s the good news. The band, this takes place in 1929, they weren’t musicians. They basically created a band in prison in order to get paroled and so you’re dealing with new singing voices and new instrument playing and somehow they find a way and become a huge phenomenon. It’s a true story.

TeenHollywood: Have you ever had to do anything musical performing-wise before this?

Jennifer: I’m trying to think here. I think I sang one little thing in a movie a long, long time ago. No.

TeenHollywood: You went to the high school that inspired Fame, right?

Jennifer: Yeah.

TeenHollywood: So, was there a lot of high school musical stuff when you were going to school?

Jennifer: There was. I remember auditioning and getting in and not being able to do it because I had to work after school. My mom was into this, 'You have to work.' And I was like, 'But I want to learn to work and do what I want to do in my life.'  So yeah, I couldn’t do it.

TeenHollywood: Were there people that discouraged you in early years? 

Jennifer: My one acting teacher, the one Russian, used to say that I was a disgrace to the Russian theater. And I’d be like, 'Well I’m not in Russia so, if I’m insulting anyone there, I apologize.' I don’t remember why he said that. But no, my dad did not want me to do this at all. It wasn’t that he didn’t think I could. He just thought it was iffy. It’s not quite dependable. You don’t really know if you’re going to make it. I think there’s a part of that that has sort of fueled my drive in a way.

TeenHollywood: You have another romantic movie coming out, The Baster.  What can you tell us about that?

Jennifer: It's about best friends and she decides she doesn't want to wait for a relationship.  She just wants to have a baby but he's absolutely offended that she does not choose him to be the donor and she's telling him how she's going to go to the donor and he's gotta be this (or that).  She wants to meet the person and he's just offended that she's known him for so long and knows all his quirks and idiosyncrasies and his neuroses but she's like 'the DNA is very important in this situation and I basically don't want to birth you'. But then he gets drunk at a party and things happen.

TeenHollywood: Sounds funny.

Jennifer: I hope so.

TeenHollywood: Do you miss anything about television?

Jennifer: Yes. The schedule.  I miss it.  I miss going to work.  I miss going to work every day and having those people (there). Very much like a nine to five job and I loved that consistency.

TeenHollywood: Have you had movie experiences that felt like that?

Jennifer: It's different. There's nothing that's like that.  It's like the school year and you go on summer vacation and you come back and you're back at school and you're a year older but I've had great....like this one (film) we just finished was absolutely a ball and you create a family. Marley and Me was one of my favorite, top experiences.

TeenHollywood: You still seem passionate about your work.

Jennifer:  I am. If we get lazy with anything, it's just gonna go away. You've got to keep making it interesting and exciting in every area of your life.

TeenHollywood: What haven't you accomplished that's a goal you would like to reach?

Jennifer: Ooooo. I've got to tell you that I don't really have goals. Things come and I go 'that would be really interesting'. I'm really interested in the parent/child relationship like a kind of beautiful Terms of Endearment, an On Golden Pond because I really think that's our first relationship.

TeenHollywood: Is your action film The Bounty a kick butt experience for you?

Jennifer: Oh, it's so much fun! I was in car chases, gunfights, firing guns, thrown in trunks, drove those caddy carts, or whatever they call those things into lakes, I hung from buildings.  It was just a ball.

TeenHollywood: Day in and day out, what keeps you excited?

Jennifer: Breathing. Lunch. I've gotta eat lunch. Right now, that's what's movin' me. (laughter)