From Friends to “The Girl Friend”: the Early Evolution of Jennifer Aniston’s Star Image

Abstract

In the more than twenty-five years since the spectacular success of the iconic television sitcom/cultural phenomenon Friends (NBC, 1994-2004), the ensemble program’s six actors have parlayed that visibility into careers of varying success on network and cable television, streaming platforms, and the film industry. One of them, Jennifer Aniston, has managed to maintain a consistently visible star image which continues to resonate with fans and critics alike. In her nearly thirty-year career Aniston has successfully transitioned from her role on the small screen to starring roles in feature films, and most recently gaining critical and popular attention (as well as a Screen Actor’s Guild award) for her role in The Morning Show on the Apple + streaming service. While scholars have already considered work from her late and post-Friends career, this article examines her breakout role as the appealing and attractive Rachel Green as an effective vehicle for the transition into her early film roles (1997-1998). Through an analysis of various texts and paratexts, the article traces the roots of the actress’ early star image and argues that understanding Aniston as capable of playing both erotically charged objects of desire as well as fully agential desiring subjects is key to explaining her early star image.