Jennifer Aniston strips away the usual glamour and style for her intimate performance in the film “Cake,” which is earning her rave reviews and plenty of Oscar buzz.
When asked if she felt there was too much emphasis on the “deglamorization” of women in order to get recognized for awards, Aniston acknowledged that there is a bit of truth to the notion that actresses “in some cases” have to “turn into the elephant man in order to get any kind of respect,” but she added, “There have been plenty of beautiful women who are beautiful in their performances physically and emotionally.”
For her own acting performance in the Daniel Barnz-directed “Cake,” which she also produced, Aniston was stripped bare of the usual trappings of Hollywood beauty, offering a raw and unfiltered portrayal of an unpleasant woman named Claire Simmons, who’s suffering with chronic pain and finds herself consumed with the suicide of a woman (Anna Kendrick) in her support group.
Halle Berry (“Monster’s Ball”) and Charlize Theron (“Monster”) both won Oscars while downplaying their beauty, but Aniston is pleased with her role in “Cake” regardless of whether it nets her the big award.
“I think for me I’m just grateful to even be in that conversation,” Aniston told TheWrap’s executive editor Joseph Kapsch of the acclaim the film has been receiving. “For me, it’s interesting because I really wanted to get this kind of a performance in for my own self as an actor, because it is easy to sit and be comfortable in the jobs that come easily to you.”
Aniston suspects that more actors have these kinds of characters they’d like to explore, but that the current state of film-making makes it more difficult.
“We aren’t given the opportunity because we’re also in an industry that’s extremely specific and maybe not very imaginative at times, and there’s money to make,” she said. “So you’ve gotta sort of scream a little louder, fight a little harder, bang a little drum louder.”
Of the accolades surrounding the film and her performance, Aniston said she was “so flattered,” adding, “It’s so nice to hear that about something that you care so much about.”
The “Friends” star also selected some of her film roles she’s most proud of from throughout her career, and talked about the necessary challenges in going “small” so that movies like “Cake” can get made.
Watch video of TheWrap’s interview here.
Jennifer Aniston stars in “Cake,” which hits theaters on Friday, Jan. 23, 2015.