2020-01-01_InStyle_Australia

to me today, as does women’s intelligence and how

capable and creative they are.”

Not surprisingly, the Morning Wars crew has many

cool ladies both in front of and behind the camera.

“There are a lot of women running this show,” Aniston

says of the team, “and it moves really smoothly.” They

include showrunner Kerry Ehrin and trailblazing

director Mimi Leder. Still, the shift to Apple TV+ was an

adjustment for Aniston. Friends, which debuted 25 years

ago in September, was a breeze in comparison. “To me, a

TV series used to mean a studio audience and five cameras.

I got in at 10 and was out by five,” she recalls. “[Morning

Wa r s] was like doing two films back-to-back over seven

months. After a full day of shooting, I’d go home and keep

working, looking at cuts, weighing in on casting for the next

week, preparing for the next day’s work. When the show

wrapped, I crawled into my bed for a solid week.”

Pushing herself out of her comfort zone wouldn’t

have been possible without the help of Aniston’s loyal

and supportive assistants, glam squad and fashion aides,

all of whom have been with her for 10 years or more. In

shaping her character’s look, she brought in her secret

weapons: twin-sister stylists Nina and Clare Hallworth.

“We went with beautifully tailored men’s fabrics in shades

of grey, blue and brown. It was a conscious decision not

to be in canary yellow or fuchsia or cobalt blue,” Aniston

says. Her inspiration for Alex? None other than Diane

Sawyer, the legendary TV journalist renowned for her

skills and style. Aniston sighs just thinking about the

icon. “I’ve known Diane for years, and I had the joy of

getting to pick her brain when I was doing research for

the show. Diane’s always been so elegant and classy.”

If that seems like a lot to unpack, that’s because it is.

By Aniston’s own admission, her role on Morning Wars

is her most complex to date. She plays Alex Levy, the

ambitious co-host of a television news program who

confronts the sexism, ageism and other “isms” foisted

onto her by a troubled male co-host (Steve Carell), her

network’s male executives, and, in some respects, herself.

“Alex’s sell-by date expired long ago, and she’s trying

to stay relevant,” says Aniston, whose research included

going behind the scenes at Good Morning America

at 5am to get a sense of the matrix.

Remarkably, the Aniston-Witherspoon pitch

meeting occurred before #MeToo revelations rocked

the entertainment industry. “The show was always

about the abuse of power, and women and sexism. We

sold it in the summer, and then Harvey [Weinstein]

happened in the fall,” Aniston says. The allegations

against CBS This Morning anchor Charlie Rose and

the Today show’s Matt Lauer came next. “[We] were

like...‘The show is writing itself.’ It was as if the

universe were begging for this patriarchal

society to be exposed. It’s crazy.”

Aniston hopes that the show, which

delves into the grey areas of #MeToo,

will also inspire deeper conversation

about the norms of the workplace. And

the dialogue should not just be limited to

men either. The reckoning affects all of

us. “There’s a new playbook that’s being

written in real time, and this show looks

at how we’re finally taking steps to

acknowledge and dismantle the old,

dysfunctional ways of doing business

so we can level the playing field.”

The role of Alex is made all the more

interesting given Aniston’s most recent milestone. This

past February she turned 50, an age that was once a career

killer for even the biggest female stars. (Can you imagine

banishing Aniston—or other 1969 babies including Gwen

Stefani, Cate Blanchett, Ellen Pompeo and Jennifer

Lopez—just because of a birthday?)

“Fifty was the first time I thought, ‘Well, that number,’”

Aniston says. “I don’t know what it is because I don’t feel

any different. Things aren’t shutting down in any way.

I feel physically incredible. So it’s weird that it’s all of

a sudden getting telegraphed in a way that’s like, ‘You

look amazing for your age.’ I think we need to establish

some etiquette around that dialogue and verbiage.”

Aniston admits that, if anything, she feels more

in control than ever. “Women were never allowed

to have power,” she says bluntly. “Power feels sexy

“POWER FEELS SEXY TO

ME TODAY, AS DOES

WOMEN’S INTELLIGENCE

AND HOW CAPABLE AND

CREATIVE THEY ARE”

JANUARY 2020 INSTYLE 71