Jennifer Aniston has walked the earth as a celebrity far longer than she has as a civilian—going from sitcom star to Hollywood power player.
As an entrepreneur, she’s a stealth mogul, a veteran who launched a production company before actress-producers were everywhere in Hollywood but who, until recently, never threw herself into that dual role in such a visible way. Now she’s poised to amp up her production company, Echo Films, with new projects, exerting more hands-on involvement in her work than at any prior point in her career.
As star and executive producer of the Apple Original series “The Morning Show,” Aniston plays Alex Levy, a journalist who is brewing up a fight for power that she knows she’s earned, even if the dummies in the suits don’t.
At 54 years old, she is familiar with that script.
“There was a time in my world, my career, where I realized it’s not being aggressive or combative or bitchy or emotional to stand up for what you deserve and what you want,” she told us in a May interview. “It’s a tough muscle to build. And also be loved and respected. It’s hard to achieve.”
Aniston has remained an international name despite not hitting the superhero circuit or nabbing roles as long-lasting as Rachel on “Friends.” What she has is staying power, an especially significant feat given how often Hollywood sidelines women in midlife.