Jennifer Aniston talks about being a “self-made woman” + what ‘Friends’ taught her

(NOTE LANGUAGE) Gracing the cover of WSJ. Magazine‘s upcoming Fall Women’s Fashion Issue, Jennifer Aniston gets real about her work ethic, her personal life and the most important lesson she took from her time on Friends.

Aniston says the decision her fellow cast members made to negotiate their salaries as one “taught us everything.” She explains, “It would’ve destroyed us, I think, if someone was soaring financially.”

Calling herself a “self-made woman,” Aniston revels in the “chick club” she’s started with her pal — and Friends little sister — Reese Witherspoon on the Apple TV series they co-produce, The Morning Show. “Being that we’re female, there’s a level of understanding, compassion and consideration that I think doesn’t always exist amongst the dudes,” she explains of their colleagues behind the camera.

Elsewhere, Jennifer notes, “There was a time in my world, my career, where I realized it’s not being aggressive or combative or b**** or emotional to stand up for what you deserve and what you want. It’s a tough muscle to build. And also be loved and respected.”

As for her much-covered romantic life, Aniston insists “my dog” is all she’s sleeping with.

She admits, “It was always a little bit difficult for me in relationships, I think, because I really was kind of alone….My parents, watching my family’s relationship, didn’t make me kind of go, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to do that.'”

“I didn’t like the idea of sacrificing who you were or what you needed, so I didn’t really know how to do that. So it was almost easier to just be kind of solo. So I didn’t have any real training in that give-and-take,”
Aniston explains. “It’s just about not being afraid to say what you need and what you want. And it’s still a challenge for me in a relationship…”

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