Jennifer Aniston says she identifies with 'The Morning Show' scene where her character cries in a limo before a red carpet appearance
- Jennifer Aniston told The LA Times that starring in "The Morning Show" felt like "20 years of therapy," and that she personally related to some scenes in the Apple TV series.
- In episode two of the show, Aniston's character Alex Levy breaks down crying in the back of a limo on the way to a red carpet event.
- Aniston said: "There have been moments — not to that level of hysteria — but moments of 'I don't want to f---ing go here,' 'I don't want to walk out onto the carpet,' 'I don't want to be seen,' 'I don't want to be looked at and everyone's going to be talking about me and judging me.' That's real."
- Aniston said: "There were times when I would read a scene and feel like a whole manhole cover was taken off my back."
Jennifer Aniston says that her role in "The Morning Show" felt like undergoing "20 years of therapy," and that she identifies with certain scenes in the show based on her own real-life experience.
In a new interview with The LA Times published on Tuesday, Aniston described what it was like to play Alex Levy, the host of a morning TV show whose co-host and close friend Mitch Kessler (played by Steve Carell) becomes embroiled in a sexual misconduct scandal.
Aniston described a scene from the second episode of Apple TV's flagship series in which Levy is on her way to a red carpet event in a limo, but breaks down crying, saying: "Oh, Jesus, I can't cry."
Aniston told The LA Times that she has experienced similar moments before, although not to the same extent as Levy.
"There have been moments — not to that level of hysteria — but moments of 'I don't want to f---ing go here,' 'I don't want to walk out onto the carpet,' 'I don't want to be seen,' 'I don't want to be looked at and everyone's going to be talking about me and judging me.' That's real," Aniston said.
"I just loved being able to walk into it and lean into it and not be ashamed of it, but actually just it was like... 'Ooooooooooh.'"
Aniston, who is Emmy-nominated for the show following a Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors' Guild award win, said that the "show was 20 years of therapy wrapped into 10 episodes."
"There were times when I would read a scene and feel like a whole manhole cover was taken off my back," Aniston said. "Cathartic, yes, and also interesting for me to look at how I always have tried to normalize being fine and 'everything's great, you know, this is all normal,' and then there are moments when you have your private breakdown or your 'Calgon, take me away' moments."
Aniston continued: "To actually look at it from an actor brain observing it and acknowledging it, I had to look at it as opposed to pretending it doesn't exist."
Aniston, who executive produces the show with her costar Reese Witherspoon, is looking to win her first Emmy since 2002, when she took home outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for "Friends." She is nominated in the drama category for "The Morning Show," which is her first drama nomination ever.
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