Today, the world knows Jennifer Aniston for creating the iconic face of Rachel Green from her time in the NBC sitcom Friends. The era-defining aura even created pointers for its future relevance. As a massive flux of the contemporary world lives and feeds on her classic signature of bob cuts, turtlenecks, and plaid skirt ensembles, it comes out in the open as to why she is so symbolic.

In fact, considering her influence, it might seem like one knows all about Aniston and everything remains in plain sight. However, reality is not always apparent. Therefore, here are 5 lesser-known facts about Jennifer Aniston that might make you want to retrace your knowledge.

Jennifer Aniston’s hate towards the Rachel haircut

Fans across the globe have indeed been edging into a frenzy ever since Jennifer Aniston recently flaunted an updated version of the timeless Rachel Green haircut. The distinct hairdo consisted of several versions of a layered bob cut which she showcased throughout her decade-long depiction on Friends. While it was truly a fanatic driving force for young women to imitate this flawless hairstyle, the Friends alum surprisingly did not steer clear support for this hairdo herself.

Instead, in a 2011 interview for the February issue of Allure Magazine, the actress went all out in her opinion of the famous haircut. Surprisingly, her wave of red flags towards the hairdo came up when she revealed the importance of the man behind the style, Chirs McMillan. She said, “I love Chris, and he’s the bane of my existence at the same time”. The reason? Well, “because he started the damn Rachel”. Aniston continued to say that “it was the ugliest haircut I’ve ever seen” and definitely not the “best look” of her lookbook.

While that must not be so comforting and enough to take the fans aback, the next fact is a bigger blow for the audience.

Rachel Green as Courteney Cox or Jennifer Aniston?

In Friends, Rachel Green may have risen to the high roads of catering to massive influence on its viewership, but has anyone ever imagined the role without Jennifer Aniston? We do not think so! But Aniston herself did before even stepping in the shoes of Green. In a 2015 interview with Collider, the Rachel Green actress spilled some beans on how she nearly swapped her roles with Courteney Cox.

The reason is that the makers wanted Cox to play Rachel instead of Aniston. The Morning Show star revealed how at the time both Cox and she were unaware that “I wanted to play Rachel and she wanted to play Monica.”. However, eventually “it worked out perfectly” when their prayers were heard. Although one can hardly imagine what course the show would have taken should the stars have swapped roles, it is surely a blessing in disguise. 

While everyone knows the dedication Aniston has put into her character evolution in Friends, the great lengths to which she went could shock the world.

Jennifer Aniston’s refusal to this show for Friends

Jennifer Aniston’s comedic parlance is a true gift. And this trait has been in the public eye since the actress kick-started her career. While her breakthrough moment in Friends was too charming to overlook, Aniston had even traveled the extra mile to stay loyal to the show. Therefore, way before storming the audience with her A1 humor game with Adam Sandler in Just Go With It, Aniston knocked down a chance to star with Sandler on Saturday Night Live.

In a 2011 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Murder Mystery actor had shed light on this. Recalling the moment, Sandler remembered going “Oh my god” after noticing “Jen” on the “ninth floor where Lorne Michael’s office was”. While he could only gasp out the idea if she was “about to be on our show”, Aniston had already turned down the offer. While the makers were not happy with her decision, even the actress confronted him saying “They thought I was making a huge mistake.”.

Having said that, this was not the only instance where Aniston was stuck between Friends and another show.

Jennifer Aniston’s Double Trouble with Friends

Before gaining her foothold in Friends, the year of its inception was ideally jampacked for Jennifer Aniston. In an attempt to make a mark in the industry, hoping for her career to take off, she had been acting for different pilots. As a result, after shooting 5 other TV pilots and filming six episodes of a series called Muddling Through, she finally found her home in Friends. This CBS sitcom offered the role of the protagonist’s daughter, Madeline, to Aniston.

Furthermore, the idea was if this worked out with good ratings, a whole season would have been in the works after that. At the time she was also one of the top picks for Friends, meaning that she was stuck in a dilemma. Should Muddling Through have received the nod, her journey could have ended abruptly after the first half of season one. In that case, she either had to be written off the script or replaced with a different actress.

However, the same did not happen and we could not be more glad. But amidst the various take-ups, Aniston did something unthinkable by featuring some cameos.

Jennifer Aniston’s cameo journey

Jennifer Aniston may have starred in some forgettable roles before showcasing her true skills in Friends, but did you know that she starred in music videos? As shocking as it might be, it is also true. The actress starred in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ‘Walls (Circus)’ track from 1996. Furthermore, she was also featured in Melissa Etheridge’s track called ‘I Want to Be in Love’.

Lastly, her iconic poster girl moment arrived in the most famous track in the history of television series which is ‘I’ll be There For You’ by The Rembrandts with her Friends friends. Therefore, it can be said that the touch of Friends has contributed before and after in making Jennifer Aniston who she is in the most unexpected ways.

Did you know about these lesser-known facts about Jennifer Aniston? Let us know in the comments below!