KEY POINTS

  • Jennifer Aniston said that she was typecast after portraying Rachel Green
  • Rose Byrne felt more liberated when she started doing comedies after doing serious projects
  • Reese Witherspoon believes that actors now have a sense of control over their careers

Jennifer Aniston and Rose Byrne discussed how they struggled with their roles after being typecast.

Actors enjoy it when the audience love their characters. However, there’s also a downside when the public loves their characters too much. Aniston confessed that her well-loved character Rachel Green from “Friends” was both a blessing and a curse.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Aniston and Byrne spoke candidly on how they struggled to break free from how the industry views them. Aniston shared that she was typecast as Rachel Green.

“So, I just fought with myself and who I was in this industry forever, and it was constantly about trying to prove that I was more than that person [Rachel]. But there is such a freedom in getting older because you just stop giving a crap,” Aniston said.

Meanwhile, Byrne also spoke about her transition from doing dramas to comedies and vice versa.

“I found a lot more freedom once I started doing comedy because I had been doing serious things,” Byrne shared.

“But then once you start doing more comedy, people don't think you can do serious. It's this ongoing reinvention and people have preconceived ideas about you and you're always trying to shake that up.”

Aniston agreed with Byrne’s observation. According to the “Murder Mystery” actress, once they play comedy, the audience would start thinking they couldn’t do drama. And if they play drama, the audience would think they couldn’t do comedy.

“They forget that we're actors and we actually have it all in there. It's just about finding it and accessing it and getting the material,” Aniston added.

Just like “The Morning Show” star, Byrne confessed that as she got older, she became less concerned of the noise from the people regarding the roles she plays.

Meanwhile, Reese Witherspoon who was also part of the interview shared her thoughts on the issue. She said that it used to be that way because only a “bunch of people” from the studio decided what work they should do and they blindly accepted it. But things are no longer the same today.

“So, we have a sense of control and the ability to steer our careers that we never had before. I couldn't connect to my audience before; now I know exactly where they live,” the “Legally Blonde” star shared.

“This information age has brought on a lot of yucky stuff, but it's also brought on this liberation that we are able to connect and we know that we matter.”

Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston
Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston will be teaming up with Apple for their upcoming series. Pictured: Witherspoon and Aniston attend ELLE’s 18th Annual Women in Hollywood Tribute held at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on Oct. 17, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. Todd Williamson/Getty Images For ELLE