Rachel Green

I love movies and T.V. shows. And I love celebrity gossip sites. Not that I think it gives me much insight to celebrities, but does give me insight to board posters.

Every time a new Jennifer Aniston movie comes out, the posters go crazy with "when is Jennifer Aniston going to stop playing Rachel Green?" Here's the thing, if you watch more than four different performances by any given actor, you're going to find they have the same expression of sorrow, joy, love, surprise, etc. They touch their face, move their hair, and walk fairly similar in every role. Jennifer Aniston, like most, is a movie version of her own mannerisms playing out a role.

Yes, there are some actors who do manage to drastically alter themselves into the new role. Christian Bale comes to mind. But even then, sometimes when I'm watching one of his performances I'm thinking more about how Christian Bale became that character, more than following that character through the story. Oddly enough, I could completely believe him as Bruce Wayne but no one really talks much about his role as Batman.

We enjoy performances by certain actors because we like them. Some seem like ourselves, or a version of us we'd like to be. Some seem like people we'd be friends with if they were co-workers or school mates. Acting, like any other job, goes to the person who is well liked, not necessarily the one best qualified for the job. No one is going to purposely choose to spend time, whether a fifty hour work week, or a two hour movie, with someone we don't like.

Is every Jennifer Aniston role Rachel Green? I think they all have Jennifer Aniston in common, not Rachel Green. When I finish watching one of her movies I generally feel happy. (Marlow and Me excluded.) And if I come away happy, after trying to escape the doldrums of my real life, then Jennifer Aniston did her job.