Jennifer Aniston looks back on 30 years of Friends . As part of Variety's Actors on Actors series, she reflects on the hit sitcom in a conversation with Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson.
When Brunson asked what it was like to watch Friends two decades after the show ended, Aniston tearfully replied, "Oh, God, don't make me cry." She was visibly emotional. . "Do you want a minute?" Brunson asked. "We don't have to talk about it."
Aniston grabbed a tissue from the producer and continued. "I'm sorry, I just started thinking...I'm fine, these are happy tears."
After a brief pause, they resumed their conversation. "The Morning Show" star Aniston discusses the upcoming 30th anniversary of "Friends" in September 2024.
"It's so weird to think that it's 30 years old," she said of the milestone. "I remember the day it was going to premiere on NBC." The actor expressed gratitude for the show's longevity. "The fact that it has had such a long and beautiful life and still means so much to people is one of the greatest gifts," she said. "The six of us...we couldn't imagine it."
In October 2023, Matthew Perry, one of the main actors of the show, passed away at the age of 54. In honor of him and his legacy, many of his co-stars have spoken out about the show in the months since.
Aniston reflected on her early years on the sitcom, in which she played Rachel Green, in an interview with People magazine in April. "It was magic," she recalled. "Nothing is not exciting. Everything is exciting."
