'Black Panther' is mainly comprised of black actors
When most people see Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, or David Schwimmer, they can't help but see Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, and Ross. The actors' iconic roles catapulted them to fame, but it came with a curse: they were so deeply tied to their characters that it was hard for their careers to go in a different direction—after all, the 'Friends' finale was in 2004 and people are still bingeing the show today!
Jennifer Aniston, however, seems to have smashed through this curse, officially saying goodbye with her first ever dramatic Emmy nomination for her lead role in 'The Morning Show.' But it's been quite a journey with many highs and even more lows for the queen of tabloids.
Click through to see how she managed to break from the binds of such an iconic role and continues to surprise us.
'Along Came Polly' co-starring Ben Stiller came out in 2004, and her high-profile film roles helped stem her career from TV to movies.
Aniston's first two films after 'Friends'—'Derailed' (2005) and 'Rumor Has It' (2005)—were box-office flops.
Long before the show had ended, she separated herself from the fabulous Rachel by also being the fabulous Jennifer who was married to one of Hollywood's hottest stars. She even stirred people's hearts by announcing she was ready to start a family in 2004.
The tabloid circus surrounding their breakup at the start of 2005, following Pitt's co-starring role in 'Mr and Mrs Smith' with Angelina Jolie, marked Aniston as a tabloid mainstay.
Aniston had a string of three hit films, the first of which being 2006's 'The Break-Up,' which she co-starred in alongside Vince Vaughn.
In 2009, she co-starred in the star-studded rom-com 'He's Just Not That Into You,' alongside Scarlett Johansson, Drew Barrymore, Ginnifer Goodwin, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Connelly, Ben Affleck, and Justin Long.
Namely 'Love Happens' (2009) with Aaron Eckhart, 'The Bounty Hunter' (2010) with Gerard Butler, and 'The Switch' (2010) with Jason Bateman. The last two earned her Razzie Awards for Worst Actress.
By this point, Aniston had been largely in romantic comedies and was risking being pigeonholed as a rom-com actress.
In 2009, Aniston was nominated for an Emmy for a guest starring role on Tina Fey's sitcom '30 Rock,' and she had also received largely positive reviews for an appearance on Courteney Cox's 'Cougar Town.'
Aniston knew her strength in comedy, and she picked herself up and reapplied herself with vigor, starting with 2011's 'Just Go With It,' which co-starred the then-box-office faithful Adam Sandler. It wasn't a celebrated role, however, and the pair were Razzie-nominated for Worst Screen Couple.
That same year in 2011, Aniston starred as a manipulative sex-crazed employer in 'Horrible Bosses,' which co-starred Kevin Spacey, Charlie Day, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Jamie Foxx.
Aniston co-starred alongside Jason Sudeikis again, along with Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, and Ed Helms, for the 2013 comedy 'We're The Millers,' in which she played a stripper posing as a mother.
It's weird to think such a big star did such little-known films, but they include the comedy-crime flick with Isla Fisher, Mos Def, and Tim Robbins called 'Life of Crime' (2013), as well as the screwball comedy 'She's Funny That Way' (2014), co-starring Imogen Poots and Owen Wilson.
Aniston ditched her reliable comedy for her role as a woman who suffers with chronic pain and has visions of a member of her support group who killed herself, leading her to seek out the widower. Her acting was nominated for a Golden Globe, SAG and Critics' Choice Awards, and she was named People Magazine's Performance of the Year.
Following the release of 'Cake,' she also won the Razzie Redeemer Award, given to a past Razzie Award nominee or winner who had subsequently "become a respected artist" and come back from critical or commercial failure. She was previously nominated twice for Worst Actress and twice for Worst Screen Couple.
Aniston was back in the tabloids as she married Theroux in 2015, a year after Pitt and Jolie married. Theroux and Aniston went on a group honeymoon with their friends (including Courteney Cox and Jason Bateman), which seemed cool and laid-back at the time but may have been indicative about their future.
After over a decade's worth of pregnancy rumors, the actress cut through the buzz in an open letter in the Huffington Post in July 2016, criticizing journalists for their relentless hounding when there are real issues in the world that deserve coverage.
Again co-starring alongside Jason Bateman, as well as T.J. Miller, Olivia Munn, and Kate McKinnon, Aniston played a party-pooper CEO in 2016's 'Office Christmas Party,' which didn't garner much, if any, praise.
In 2016, she also co-starred in 'Mother's Day' with Jason Sudeikis again, as well as Kate Hudson and Julia Roberts. The film was largely panned for its waste of star power.
When Aniston announced her split from Justin Theroux in 2018, following alleged attempts from Pitt to get in contact with her, another media storm was ignited.
Aniston played a former beauty queen in 2018's 'Dumplin,' starring Danielle Macdonald as her plus-size daughter who revolutionizes her mother's pageant. The dramedy was generally higher rated than most of her previous comedy roles.
Aniston's role in 2019's 'Murder Mystery,' in which she again co-starred alongside Adam Sandler in another vacation-gone-wrong plot line, was panned across the board. Nonetheless, 'Murder Mystery 2' premieres on March 31, 2023.
Venturing into TV again, but this time distinctly drama, Aniston took on a lead role in 'The Morning Show,' alongside Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell, where she plays a news anchor dealing with the #MeToo era fall-out of her co-anchor.
In 2020, Aniston was nominated for her first Emmy in 11 years, as well as her first ever dramatic Emmy, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, for her role in 'The Morning Show.'
In 2020, her role in the series landed her a SAG Award and two Golden Globe nominations, including Best Actress -TV Series Drama and Best TV Series - Drama (she is producer on the show as well). She was once again nominated in those categories in 2022.
One of the highlights of 2021 was 'Friends: The Reunion,' which saw the cast reunite. With how much her life has changed since the finale episode, it was clear Jennifer Aniston had beaten the 'Friends' curse. And she's not even close to done yet!
See also: Jennifer Aniston's style evolution
How Jennifer Aniston escaped the 'Friends' curse
The actress turned 55 on February 11
CELEBRITY Retrospective
When most people see Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, or David Schwimmer, they can't help but see Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, and Ross. The actors' iconic roles catapulted them to fame, but it came with a curse: they were so deeply tied to their characters that it was hard for their careers to go in a different direction—after all, the 'Friends' finale was in 2004 and people are still bingeing the show today!
Jennifer Aniston, however, seems to have smashed through this curse, officially saying goodbye with her first ever dramatic Emmy nomination for her lead role in 'The Morning Show.' But it's been quite a journey with many highs and even more lows for the queen of tabloids.
Click through to see how she managed to break from the binds of such an iconic role and continues to surprise us.