Focus Assignment

When people hear the name “Jennifer Aniston” they automatically think of her as “Rachel Green” on the hit show Friends. Jennifer Aniston worked hard to get the role of “Rachel”, and continues to work hard. Though she is beautiful inside and out, there is more to her than most people think. There are things that are important to her that go beyond how the public portrays her. She hates when people relate her to a hairstyle or an item of clothing. Since she became a world wide name following the success of Friends in 1994, she has not forgotten where she came from and what she believes in. She hasn’t let the pressures of Hollywood take her down a path she didn’t want to go. I think that’s what makes her different from most people in the business today.

Jennifer was born in 1969. Soon after, her family moved from California to New York because her father was an aspiring actor. When Jennifer was still young, her parents divorced. Money was tight for Jennifer and her mother after her father left them. Those difficult years taught Jennifer to be grateful for everything she had. She really wanted to study acting so she applied and was accepted at The Fame School that concentrated on the study of acting. After she graduated, Jennifer tried to make it in New York as an actress, but soon found it was not easy. After many failed attempts she decided to move to Los Angeles.

Once in Los Angeles, Jennifer started auditioning for movies and pilots almost everyday until she got a part on a new sitcom called Muddling Through. While working on Muddling Through she continued to audition for other parts. She went on an audition for a pilot for a show that would later be called Friends. When Jennifer was offered the part on Friends she almost turned it down because she was working on the other show. Fortunately for her she decided to do both. Nobody, including Jennifer, knew that accepting the role of “Rachel Green” on Friends would change her life forever. Friends was a show about six, twenty-something, single people living in New York, dealing with all the aspects of life, love and careers. Right from the start, the show was a huge hit world wide. It got so popular throughout the course of its ten-season run that the cast couldn’t go outside without being mobbed by paparazzi and fans. Starting in 2001, the whole cast was paid $1,000,000 per episode. Even since the show ended in 2004, reruns are played multiple times each day. Despite having the option never to work again, Jennifer loved acting and wanted to continue to make movies for the world to see.

Though Jennifer’s life seems like a dream come true, she has faced the same type of disappointment and pain that regular people do, only her problems are made public for the world to scrutinize. The most painful thing Jennifer ever went through was her very public divorce from actor Brad Pitt. Their marriage started off wonderful and content but it changed as soon as Brad started working on a movie called Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Angelina Jolie. Jennifer filed for divorce on March 25, 2005.

Though Jennifer’s life may seem perfect on the outside, there is a lot that the public doesn’t know. She is portrayed as a person who is mostly concerned with her appearance and material things. The opposite is true. The two things that matter most to Jennifer are her friends and family. She also gives back to the community by volunteering for countless charities. She has never forgotten her difficult early years. This is what has made her last in the high pressure and demanding business of acting. She will always be known as one of the greatest comedic actresses of her generation.