Call it a break or a retirement, but Jennifer Aniston once almost left behind acting for good.
The ‘Friends’ alum, who has seen a career renaissance of sorts with her turn in the Apple TV+ series ‘The Morning Show,’ revealed on an episode of the ‘SmartLess’ podcast released this week that she once contemplated quitting the profession altogether.
When asked what’s the closest she’s ever come to bowing out from acting, Aniston admitted she almost pulled the plug after working on an “unprepared project.”
“I would have to say the last two years that has crossed my mind, which it never did before,” she said on the podcast hosted by actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, noting that this period of uncertainty was before she was cast on ‘The Morning Show.’
“It was after a job I had completed and I was like, ‘Whoa, that sucked the life out of me, and I don’t know if this is what interests me,’” the Emmy winner added.
Aniston cited a “lack or organisation” and an unfinished script as major frustrations, but chose not to name the film or television series in question.
She did, however, go on to list some of her favourite projects, with ‘Friends’ coming in as her obvious “number one.” She also gave a special shoutout to 2011′s ‘Just Go With It,’ which she starred in with frequent collaborator Adam Sandler.
But should Aniston ever permanently ditch Hollywood, she has a back-up profession in mind: She revealed that she would likely devote her time to interior design.
“I love it. It’s my happy place. It’s really a happy place for me,” Aniston said.
But she clearly isn’t ready to bid adieu to acting anytime soon, and previously described working on “The Morning Show” as a “cathartic” experience.
“That show was 20 years of therapy wrapped into 10 episodes,” Aniston told the Los Angeles Times in August. “There were times when I would read a scene and feel like a whole manhole cover was taken off my back.”
Earlier this month, Aniston received her first Emmy nomination for the series ― though she ultimately lost the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series trophy to Zendaya ― and she’s now gearing up to film the second season when production can resume.