Jennifer Aniston was ‘ordered to lose 30lbs’ before starring in Friends – The Sun
JENNIFER Aniston was ordered to lose 30lbs before landing the role of Rachel Green in Friends, according to a new biography on the show.
The role made her one of the most famous actresses in the world, but author Saul Austerlitz has revealed she had to make sacrifices to beat other hopefuls in LA.
In his new book, Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era, to mark the sitcom's 25th anniversary, Austerlitz wrote: "She had to lose thirty pounds if she wanted to stay in Hollywood.
"Los Angeles was a tough place to be an actress – it was a tough place to be a woman – and Jennifer Aniston’s agent was reluctantly levelling with her.”
The star previously told Rolling Stone magazine in 1996 that she had to cut certain foods out of her diet before auditioning for roles.
Mayonnaise sandwiches on white bread, which Aniston called "the most delicious thing in the world", were dropped from the menu.
She said: "My agent gave it to me straight. Nicest thing he ever did… The disgusting thing of Hollywood – I wasn’t getting lots of jobs ’cause I was too heavy.”
It is 25 years since she first found fame in Friends and the stunning actress has never looked better thanks to daily workouts, a healthy diet and her beauty regime.
But Jennifer claims the real key to looking good is happiness — and finally accepting she does not have to push herself as hard as she once did.
She said: “It’s hard work, you know. You work out, you just take care of yourself and you exercise. You eat right, you sleep, you’re happy.
“Happiness is the big key. My dad is 100 per cent Greek, he barely has a wrinkle. Neither did my grandmother, who was 95 when she died. My life is a happy life. It’s a choice.”
Jennifer used to moan that her bum wobbled, saying it “has a tendency to go right and left and I’d like it to go up”.
But after hitting her half century, she has stopped putting so much pressure on herself and learned to love her body.
She said: “When we’re kids, we are constantly working out for smaller arms, a leaner butt, a flat tummy. Let it be. I can be a little soft.” It is serving her well.
Jennifer is worth around £154million thanks to her most famous role as Rachel in TV sitcom Friends and starring in more than 30 films.
Her working life is hectic but she keeps her mind and body in shape with daily yoga, boxing, cardio and meditation sessions.
She said: “I feel really beautiful when I finish a great workout.
“Because I’ve taken care of my body, my endorphins are going, my blood is pumping. I’m taking care of the one body I have.”
She keeps fit with her trainer, Leyon Azubuike, and he does not go easy on the actress.
The star is a lifelong yoga fan but two years ago she and Leyon started boxing and she loves the “mental” part of it.
Jennifer noticed dramatic changes in her body when she started yoga but likes to “shake things up”.
In one interview she revealed: “I have a spin bike, an elliptical bike and a treadmill — and I do cardio for at least 20 minutes a day. Even that short burst makes a difference.
“Of course I take days off. It’s important to rest the body.
“I can go a whole week saying, ‘I’m not going to work out’. Your body will tell you what it needs.”
Jennifer takes the same healthy approach to diet. She says: “You kind of figure out at a certain age you have to cut some stuff out and get healthy — get with the programme.”
That means starting every day with lemon water and for six days of the week cutting out stodgy carbohydrates and focusing on organic fruit, vegetables and lean protein.
But on the seventh day it’s time for Jennifer to indulge.
She said: “I’ve learned how to make pasta and it’s not that bad for you.
“It’s just an egg, Parmesan cheese and a little pasta water. My not-so-healthy snack is chips (crisps) and guacamole with a margarita.”
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