For Jennifer Aniston, The Break Up wasn’t just a movie — it was therapy.
In a recent Vanity Fair interview for its Stars Rewatch series, the actress reflected on filming the 2006 romantic dramedy just months after her very public split from Brad Pitt.
“[When making the movie], I might have just gone through a separation [that] I’m sure nobody remembers,” Aniston, 56, joked. “It was kind of cathartic to go right from that [into shooting].”
Aniston revealed that producers worried offering her the role might be “insensitive.” But she felt it was exactly what she needed. “I knew it would actually benefit me emotionally just as a human being and also serve the script and the character pretty well,” she said.
The film, which co-starred Vince Vaughn, tells the story of a breakup that spirals into a hilarious yet painfully real apartment battle. Aniston fondly recalled summer days spent with Vaughn and the writers, improvising dialogue that made it into the final cut.
“That’s why it connected with audiences — the arguments felt real,” she said. “It also allowed for a lot of real conversations that couples have.”
Today, life looks very different for both stars. Aniston is now dating author Jim Curtis, while Pitt is in a relationship with jewellery executive Ines de Ramon.