Jennifer Aniston: Marvel era is ‘diminishing’ film industry

Jennifer Aniston has said the rise in superhero movies means more traditional Hollywood film roles are “diminishing”.

The Friends star, speaking in an interview with Variety, said she was not “that interested in living in a green screen” and would “so love to have the era of Meg Ryan come back”.

She made the comments after being asked why she had made the decision to return to TV for her new Apple TV Plus series, The Morning Show, with Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell.

“It wasn’t until the last couple of years when these streaming services were just sort of exploding with this amount of quality that I actually started to think, ‘Wow, that’s better than what I just did’,” Aniston said.

“And then you’re seeing what’s available out there and it’s just diminishing and diminishing in terms of, it’s big Marvel movies or things that I’m not just asked to do or really that interested in living in a green screen.”

Aniston’s comments come following criticism of veteran director Martin Scorsese, who said that Marvel films are “not cinema”.

The actress has starred in films including Horrible Bosses, The Break-Up, Cake and Marley & Me since playing Rachel Green in Friends from 1994 to 2004.

Speaking about the change in the film industry in the last few years, she said: “It’s changed so much. I think we would so love to have the era of Meg Ryan come back.

“I just think it would be nice to go into a movie theatre, sit cosy. I think we should have a resurgence. Let’s get the Terms of Endearment back out there. You know, Heaven Can Wait, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Goodbye Girl.”

Aniston was also asked about her experiences with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

While saying he “knew better” than to bully her, she told a story about his “piggish behaviour” at the premiere dinner for her film Derailed with Clive Owen.

:: Listen to the Backstage podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

“I remember I was sitting at the dinner table with Clive, and our producers and a friend of mine was sitting with me. And [Weinstein] literally came to the table and said to my friend: ‘Get up!’ And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh’.

“And so my friend got up and moved and Harvey sat down. It was just such a level of gross entitlement and piggish behaviour.”

Aniston also spoke about Friends, saying that while the six main cast members might have wanted to work together again, the producers “wouldn’t want it, wouldn’t let us”.

“Maybe it’s better this way, but we’ll never know,” she said.

(c) Sky News 2019: Jennifer Aniston: Marvel era is ‘diminishing’ film industry