In the world of TV luminaries, Jennifer Aniston, with all her dazzling persona, has consistently captured the spotlight. Even decades after Friends ended, she remains one of the most talked about celebrities in Hollywood. When she stepped back into the limelight along with the rest of the cast for Friends: The Reunion, fans were over the moon. Especially because they would get to see their favorite stars step into a time machine to revisit that glorious chapter in television history.

Despite this, the Murder Mystery actress did not share the same excitement as her fans because of a heartbreaking reason. 

When Jennifer Aniston regretted joining Friends: The Reunion

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, Jennifer Aniston revealed that shooting Friends: The Reunion felt “jarring” to her. Well, this was because she had to confront her “past” self in that environment. She said how “that sucked” for her considering that it was once the “hardest” years of her life. When she re-entered the familiar glow of the iconic purple apartment, she realized then she had been “naive” to agree to it. 

This explains why she refrained from another reunion unlike some of the other cast that was all for it. Even during the shooting of the 2021 reunion, she revealed to have walked out sometimes. Since she felt “emotionally accessible” when confronted with it all, she would step out when feeling overwhelmed. Later, the director would simply “cut around” those scenes. 

The difficult phase that Aniston was referring to was something even her co-stars picked up on. 

How Matthew Perry empathized with Aniston

When the recently deceased Matthew Perry would speak about his time on Friends, he always emphasized the toll it took on himself. Once, the 17 Again actor also spoke about how the excessive stardom weighed heavily on Aniston’s shoulders, too. Although he felt that she dealt with it well, he knew that starring in the show changed her. Evidently, Perry picked up on her suffering like a good friend would.

Whether it was her well-publicized divorces or simply navigating the complexities of being talked about so much, the 54-year-old clearly struggled through her fame. Despite that, she enthralled Friends: The Reunions’s global audience. Behind her charming and unfiltered demeanor, few fathomed the challenges she was grappling with. This just goes to show her determination to put her fans before herself, even when facing such a challenge. 

Did you know that Jennifer Aniston was undergoing such upheaval during Friends: The Reunion? Tell us your answer in the comments.