Acting . . . and life
Jen has often been noted for her rare ability to be both hilarious and moving in a single moment; from her work on Friends to her film work, she has created moments much like those in our own lives where the emotions are complex and not neatly categorized. Indeed, it could be said that Jen’s recognition of this quality in life has contributed to her approach to her craft. In 2004, she told Premiere magazine, “Life is funny. Life isn’t categorized into comedy, drama, action, is it? So I don’t know why they try to categorize everything.” True to this sentiment, much of her best work blurs the genre lines.
CHUD (Cinematic Happenings Under Development) recently interviewed acting coach Anthony Abeson, who taught Jen at LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. Jen fans may recall that during her time there, Jen got laughs during a scene from Chekhov’s Three Sisters - and it was Anthony who told her that this was a gift. In the midst of his critiques of the current state of show business, he cites Jen’s instinct for genuine emotion as something that sets her apart among her peers. He goes on to say that she possessed that trait early:
But the thing that’s remarkable, and something I can’t take credit for, is what she had when I met her. That story about doing Chekhov and people laughed; with your theater background, I’m sure you remember that Stanislavsky drove Chekhov crazy. Chekhov kept saying, “These are comedies!” Particularly with regard to Three Sisters, which is what Jennifer was working on at the time. Chekhov said, “You’re making my characters crybabies!” For decades and decades, this was one of the classic artistic nuts to crack: how to find the humor in Chekhov - which is very pastel and, admittedly, difficult to discover. And here was this kid who was a teenager at the time who just naturally solved it. It was remarkable! She just went in there and made Chekhov truthful, and she found the humor! That’s really astonishing! I can’t take credit for that. But what I also tried to share with Jennifer, and what I say to everybody, is, “Listen, that’s the kind of talent that deserves to work with the giants.”
Indeed, she has continued to hone that talent and in doing so has created many memorable characters. The one common thread that connects the diverse array of characters that she has played is humanity; these seem like people who might actually exist. The viewer shares the character’s journey and in doing so relates to the sometimes strange way that life happens.
Jennifer Aniston, Anthony Abeson, acting, genre, technique
December 5th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
her acting coach is sweet- and I’ll definitely say she lived up to those expectations!
December 5th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Chekov isn’t comedy really, but there are comedic moments. People laugh and boo at all sorts of things. The reaction of a handful of people had no effect on Jen’s career one way or another. Chekhov referred to The Three Sisters as a “drama,” preferring to avoid the more confining labels of either “comedy” or “tragedy,” although later critics have argued for both of those labels.