With the launch of The Morning Show last week – the drama that heralded the arrival of streaming service AppleTV+ – blockbuster duo Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston have added another diamond to their professional and personal tiaras.
Jen and Reese have known one another since the ’90s, when Reese appeared in Friends, as Rachel’s little sister. Now 50 (Jen) and 43 (Reese), they are becoming the powerhouse screen pairing of their generation.
‘They go back an incredibly long way and have huge respect for one another,’ a source told Grazia. ‘Back in the mid-’90s, there were rumours of a rivalry, but they both insist that was never the case and they’ve always had a deep mutual respect, even when they weren’t close friends.
And in recent years, their social and work diaries have started to intermingle more than ever. ‘Their dinner parties are legendary,’ revealed the source, ‘and Reese is over at Jennifer’s place fairly regularly to socialise and brainstorm projects. The Morning Show has really strengthened their friendship and it’s the first of many ventures they have planned for the future.’
It’s no wonder that they turned a single meeting on the set of Friends into a power friendship. Both Jennifer and Reese have found huge comfort in the support of female friends who are also in the public eye. ‘Jen considers Courteney Cox and Chelsea Handler as her rocks, and Reese is incredibly close to Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Garner,’ a source adds. ‘They pull each other through the tough times and are always on hand to help, professionally and personally. Both women have been through difficult times with high-profile divorces, and it’s the friendship of these women that pulled them through.
Central to the Jen and Reese bond is said to be a shared work ethic and careful choices. ‘They both staunchly believe they’re living proof that talent, focus, perseverance and refusing to give into dark temptations are key to success,’ the source adds.
Jen and Reese are part of a coterie of dynamic Hollywood women who have managed to wrest complete control of their careers, from production to casting and marketing. ‘Everyone knows Jen’s inner circle has been meticulously hand-picked over the years,’ said an insider, ‘and she’s extremely wary of people trying to ride her coat-tails or who are a negative influence.’
I’ve failed. I’ve succeeded. I’ve overcome. I’ve, you know, stayed around’ - Jennifer Aniston
With Reese, there is no such worry. Famously committed to putting women front and centre of the projects she takes on, her production company was behind the big-screen adaptations of Gone Girl and Wild, as well as Big Little Lies and The Morning Show, which is the culmination of many years’ work for Jen and Reese. Adapted from Brian Stelter’s book Top Of The Morning: Inside The Cut-throat World Of Morning TV, the production budget of the first 20 episodes of its two commissioned seasons is said to have exceeded $300m, with the co-stars each earning a cool $1.25m per episode. Threaded between the top line drama of Steve Carell’s bullish news anchor being sacked in a slew of #MeToo scandals is a story of women fighting back to land on top. It’s a sensation Jen and Reese know all too well. ‘I’m entering into what I feel is one of the most creatively fulfilling periods of my life,’ Jennifer told The New York Times in the run-up to the show. ‘It’s taken time for me to get where I am and I put a lot of work into my craft. I’ve failed. I’ve succeeded. I’ve overcome. I’ve, you know, I’ve stayed around. I’m still here.'
Reese put her impetus for making the show even more succinctly. She told US talk show host Jimmy Fallon that, eight years ago, ‘I read a really crappy script and it got me so mad. My agent said to me, “Every woman in town wants this part.” I thought, “If this is the kind of stuff that’s in Hollywood, I have to start making my own stuff.”’
Reese has a flawless reputation. ‘She is one of the hardest-working people you’ll ever meet and she regularly pulls 12+ hour days at her office in Brentwood,’ an insider said. ‘She treats her staff so well and orders takeout lunches and little gifts to keep them motivated, as well as organising staff retreats and bonding seminars where they can give feedback about the work environment and how they’d like to further their individual growth.’ Reese prides herself on leading from the front. ‘She says there’s not a single job she assigns that she wouldn’t do herself. In fact, she often helps with the supposedly menial jobs, even cleaning up, and is known for being incredibly down-to-earth.’
Jennifer is also a veteran producer. She and ex-husband Brad Pitt founded Plan B Entertainment in 2001, with Tim Burton’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and Martin Scorsese’s The Departed on their roster. When Brad took ownership after the couple split in 2005, Jennifer continued on her own: she has executive produced several of her own films, including her acclaimed drama Cake and Murder Mystery, which has broken Netflix viewing records. ‘There’s not that much of a difference between the actor me, and the producer me. I don’t turn into a control freak,’ she has said.
‘Reese and I have been doing this for the last 10 years separately, but now we get to join our forces together,’ she said last week. ‘It’s very exciting.’ While the new power pairing are known for their work ethic, they still know how to let their hair down. ‘It’s well-known that Reese loves her wine,’ said the insider. ‘But her attitude is like, “Why can’t I have a drink and go wild occasionally?” It actually irked her that people were shocked when she stumbled down the stairs at Jen’s 50th. But she laughed it off.
The #MeToo context of The Morning Show has meaning for both stars. Halfway through making the drama, they reworked the narrative after NBC news anchor Matt Lauer was sacked for ‘inappropriate behaviour’. Jennifer, who had given her final Friends interview to Lauer and his co- presenter Katie Couric at the height of their popularity, said at the time she was ‘Heartbroken... it was like hearing your dad had done something really bad.'
Jen and Reese are true to their principles on-set, according to sources. ‘Jen’s never been shy about sticking up for herself and calling out chauvinists or bullies,’ said one. ‘If a man’s making her feel uncomfortable by staring over-intensely or making crass remarks, she’ll call him out in front of anyone – it doesn’t matter who he is or how powerful.’
The pleasing rise of this indomitable pairing looks set to be just the beginning of a professional partnership made in Hollywood heaven.
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