Jennifer Aniston Almost Quit Acting After a Job “Sucked the Life Out” of Her

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Here’s a little thought experiment to distract you for a second or two: What if Jennifer Aniston was no longer an actor? What if, instead, she was Jennifer Aniston: Interior Designer? As per the September 28th episode of the SmartLess podcast, hosted by Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman, and Will Arnett, that parallel universe very nearly intersected with our own.

When Bateman asked Aniston about “the closest you ever got to quitting”—something most successful actors consider at some point, according to the podcast’s other A-list hosts—Aniston said: “I would have to say the last two years, that has crossed my mind. Which it never did before.”

She clarified that she considered leaving the acting world before she signed on for The Morning Show on Apple TV+, in which she stars and executive produces (and for which she earned Primetime Emmy and Golden Globes nominations).

Rather, Aniston said, “It was after a job I had completed, and I was like, ‘Whoa, that was really…that sucked the life out of me. And I don’t know if this is what interests me.'”

She didn’t identify which project she’s referring to, but she shared that “it was an unprepared project.”

“We’ve all been a part of them. And you always say, ‘Never again! Never again! I will never back up into a start date!,’” Aniston continued, adding that “the script wasn’t ready.”

And in lieu of an acting career, Aniston said she’d likely pursue a career in interior design. “I love it. It’s my happy place. It’s really a happy place for me,” she said. (All three hosts confirmed that she’s really good at it, too.) We’re sensing a celebrity homeware line in the works.

Not all of Aniston’s jobs were absolutely soul-crushing, of course. On the podcast, she shared that “so many” of her roles were fun, though her role as Rachel Green on Friends was her “no brainer,” number-one experience. Which we obviously loved to hear, since watching Aniston on Friends is our no-brainer number-one experience in life generally. She also said she loves filming with Adam Sandler, with whom she’s been friends since they were 19. (The two have worked together on Just Go With It in 2011 and Murder Mystery in 2019.)

While it’s unlikely that Aniston will actually make the leap from acting to interior designing, she may collect a few more directing credits over the coming years. When Bateman mentioned that Aniston’s professionalism, experience, and leadership makes her a great fit for directing, she responded: “I’d love to jump into that chair more. I enjoy it thoroughly.”

Whatever Aniston decides to do with her career, we are a million percent here for it. Though we wouldn’t mind if she wanted to help us figure out where to put that weird lamp we impulse-bought at a garage sale last weekend.