During her tenure as Rachel Green, in Friends, one of TV’s most popular sitcoms ever, Jennifer Aniston received five Emmy nominations, two SAG Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. She actually won an Emmy (2002) and a Golden Globe (2003) for Lead Actress in a Comedy and her popularity with the show’s millions of fans worldwide led her to garnering a total of six People’s Choice Awards.
During the 10-year run of the show, the actor began to build a solid career on the big screen, hopping between independent and mainstream movies, making her mark not only in comedic roles, but in some well-received dramas.
And, while on the big screen she has yet to earn the acclaim deservedly earned on the small one, Aniston consistently applied her sharply-honed comedic skills to all the movies that she made. Even if many of said movies did not quite live up to expectations – The Switch, Horrible Bosses, and We’re the Millers to name but a few on a rather long list – it is beyond question that her presence always improved the end product significantly.
Aniston’s latest comedy is the festive season-themed Office Christmas Part,y in which she stars as Carol Vanstone, the Interim CEO of Zenotek.
Carol decides to shut down an underperforming branch which happens to be run by Carol’s younger brother Clay (T.J Miller). In an attempt to boost morale, and hopefully change Carol’s mind, Clay enlists the help of chief technical officer Josh (Jason Bateman), and lead systems Engineer Tracey (Olivia Munn) to make their own Christmas miracle by throwing an epic, unforgettably over-the-top Christmas party to win over a high profile client (Courtney B. Vance) and save everyone’s jobs.
Undoubtedly another role Aniston can add to the many characters she has given life to
Written by Justin Malen and Laura Solon and Dan Mazer and directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, the comedy of the film is inspired by that annual event – loved by some, loathed by others, where office colleagues get together, consume too many substances – legal or otherwise – and barriers between office hierarchies come crashing down… often with painful consequences.
Aniston and Bateman were Speck and Gordon’s first choice for their respective roles, the directors having worked with both actors previously on the afore-mentioned The Switch. Office Christmas Party marks Aniston’s fifth collaboration with Bateman.
“Jen and Jason are very close friends,” says the film’s producer Scott Stuber. “They spend a lot of time together on and off camera, which results in their great chemistry. The relaxed, fluidity of their performance style really sets the tone for the whole cast.”
“We’re all like family at this point,” says Aniston of the filmmakers and her co-star. “There’s definitely a shorthand and confidence as to how we all work together. If you have that trust, you can immediately tell one another what works and what doesn’t.”
“We created this character for Jennifer because she’s absolutely fearless when it comes to playing somewhat unlikeable characters in comedies,” says Gordon.
Rather than play Carol as a villain, Aniston framed her character in terms of her relationship with Clay in their youth. “I looked upon Carol as sort of a grown up Jeanie Bueller to Clay’s Ferris Bueller,” says Aniston, referring to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. “She has incredible resentment toward him because he’s a goof off and got every break growing up. She wants to prove herself as the smartest, most competent person in the room. Sadly, she didn’t really develop her soft, fuzzy side.”
Lack of soft, funny side notwithstanding, it is undoubtedly another role Aniston can add to the many characters she has given life to, post Rachel Green.