TheMorningShow? It’s honest and messy… it’s life
Ever wondered about the people who wake us up on telly? Jennifer Aniston is returning to Apple TV’s The MorningShow. Here, she talks about her character, Alex Levy, and the much-anticipated season two…
Hollywood superstar Jennifer Aniston, 52, has already picked up a Screen Actors Guild Award for her latest role in TheMorningShow – exploring the highstakes world of morning news and the lives of the people behind the scenes of television. ‘When you first meet Alex, she’s been doing this job for a very long time. She is at the top of her game,’ says Jen. She lives in a world where she gives all her brightness to morning television but, as the show falls apart, Alex realises she has nothing else – her marriage is falling apart and her relationship with her daughter is strained. So she joins forces with a young journalist, Bradley, played by Reese Witherspoon, to survive the scandal caused by her former co-host Mitch. The first season ends with the star quitting her job – but nine months later she’s back, and that’s where season two begins…
Jen, you’ve guested on many morning shows and met female anchors. Did you base your role on the women that you’ve come across doing that?
For me personally, it was a collection of all of them that I took in; but in my fantasy, it was an archetype of [US broadcaster] Diane Sawyer. I have always looked up to her. I was able to sit with her and ask her numerous questions. It was quite a wonderful opportunity. As well as a bunch of other wonderful women.
How are you at anger? Do you use it to express yourself as a powerful woman?
I think what was really exciting and fun and liberating for me in this character was the amount of rage I got to express – because I’m not an anger expresser, but I do know how to play my power, I just don’t do it so much. So it was fun. One day we shot a scene and [producer] Mimi Leder said, ‘God, I wouldn’t want you to be angry at me!’ And I said, ‘Don’t worry, that is not me.’ It’s in there but, you know…
The first scene you shot was the really emotional one between Mitch [played by Steve Carell] and Alex. What was that like?
Into an empty pool, chest first. I think that is always exciting and it seems to always be the case that you sometimes start with the most complicated, difficult, emotionally charged scene and you barely know each other and yet, you are trying to portray a history of friendship and partnership.
We are so used to seeing you doing comedy, but how did you feel about throwing yourself into a drama?
I mean, it felt very liberating
‘I talked into my iPad to learn how to present’
and quite therapeutic. Because you’re unpacking a lot of memories and things to evoke an emotion that will truthfully tell the scene. So you have to kind of go to some places. Most of the time, I just felt like this weight lifted off of me when we would finish a scene.
How did you prepare?
I watched a lot of news programmes, which I enjoy anyway. That’s just a daily thing. I got a little tripod stand and talked into my iPad to sort of learn how to figure out how I could do that naturally. And then I went to New York and I shadowed some talk shows and spoke to some wonderful anchors that were willing to sit with me. It was quite an interesting experience.
What did they tell you?
Across the board, they all said how much they still cannot get used to waking up when that alarm goes off. And that it is just dreadful. And I said, ‘ What keeps you doing this after so many years if you hate it?’ And it’s just the love of what they do. Also, just different rituals of each of them in the morning. There are so many interesting details, just character stuff that I got from each of them. And also, just stories of what they’ve seen, what goes on. It’s incredible what was tolerated.
Do you have a newfound respect for news anchors, especially female ones?!
Hell, yes. Absolutely. Well, we now know we’ve pulled the curtain and we know now what they were going through and struggling with and tolerating for so long. It wasn’t just a perky Robin Roberts [ Good Morning America] in the morning, you know what I mean? Who would just be gracious and lovely and talk to you about your movie for 10 minutes? Yeah, we just know more. We just have more awareness of what goes on.
Had you been planning to return to TV for a while, before this came about?
I wasn’t thinking, I was just trying to find something that I loved to do. It’s not always easy because there’s not a lot of great shows out there for women, or at least, not that I was being given the opportunity to be a part of. And this came up a couple of years ago, 2016, and it was a no-brainer – an actually perfect thing to be a part of.
Is it harder for women in the entertainment industry as they get older?
I feel like I’ve worked more since I turned 40 than I ever did – and I don’t see it slowing down any time soon!
Finally, what should we expect from season two?
It’s going to be really good [laughs] – you’ll just have to watch it…
We’ve seen the trailers – and we can’t wait!