Jennifer Aniston reflected on her decades in Hollywood crossing paths with mega-producer and convicted abuser Harvey Weinstein before #MeToo and the rise of cancel culture.
During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Aniston recalled that she had to "put up" meeting Weinstein over film deals. "He's not a guy you're like, 'God, I can't wait to meet Harvey.' Never," the actress said. "You were actually like, 'Oh, gosh, okay, suck it up.'"
And she continued: "I remember that he came to visit me to propose a movie. And I consciously remember that a person stayed in my trailer."
Weinstein told WSJ Magazine that Aniston "never had any awkward moments with me."
However, the actress shared that she believes cancel culture has gotten too extreme, and she ends up treating all the alleged perpetrators like they are Weinstein. "I'm sick of the cancel culture," Aniston said. "I probably just got canceled for saying that. I just don't understand what it means...No redemption? I don't know. I don't put everyone in the Harvey Weinstein basket."
The actress also addressed past episodes of Friends that are now considered "offensive" by members of Generation Z, specifically due to the lack of diversity.
"There exists an entire generation, a cohort of young individuals, who are presently revisiting episodes of Friends and discovering elements within that they perceive as offensive," remarked Aniston during her conversation with the Associated Foreign Press (as reported by Yahoo!). "Certain aspects were never originally envisaged that way, and in some instances... well, it's evident that a deeper consideration would have been advisable. Regrettably, the level of sensitivity we observe today was not as prevalent during that time."
Added Aniston: "Comedy has evolved, movies have evolved. Now it's a bit tricky because you have to be very careful, which makes it really difficult for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we laugh at ourselves, we laugh at life.
One could once make jest of a bigot and share a laugh – that was indeed quite amusing. The humor served as a means to enlighten individuals about the absurdity that some people embodied. Yet, it appears that we're currently restricted from pursuing such avenues of humor and education.
Everyone needs humor! The world needs humor! We can't take ourselves too seriously. Especially in America. The whole world is too divided."
