Many people believe that Justin Theroux is poised to have a big breakout with the release of The Girl on the Train. His role is significant, and if Theroux delivers and the film has a decent box office, a lot of scripts could be coming his way. He could be fashioning a very interesting career for himself in his 40s, which basically only men are allowed to do (when was the last time an actress had a big career break in her 40s?). I tend to think Theroux knows he’s poised for a breakout too, and his promotional tour for the film has been a study in well-executed PR. He managed to answer the Brangelina question with respect, he’s carefully avoided overshadowing the actual star of the film, Emily Blunt, and he’s been talking about feminist hot-button issues, like how dudes love to gaslight the ladies. And perhaps most importantly, he’s been graciously answering inane questions about Jennifer Aniston and their marriage. He recently sat down with the Sunday Times and he got so many questions about Aniston. And he handled them with aplomb.
He’s fine with being called “Mr. Jennifer Aniston.” “It doesn’t really get under my skin. It’s just one of those things that’s a shorthand for describing who I am.”
He’s proud of Aniston & he knows she’s more successful: “[Jennifer] is a proper badass. She has lived through a lot of bullsh-t. Many people would have crumbled under some of the stresses that have been put on her. I’m very proud of her for that, for the way she handles herself. So in a weird way it’s an honor to stand behind her. Truly, in that sense, she’s amazing.”
On the tabloids: “There are definitely times when I don’t like walking past the newsstand in the U.S. You start to feel like the crazy person [with the media] portraying you as if you follow that sh-t. When it first started happening I’d sort of casually pay attention to it, and then I’d realize I was eating poison. Now I just avert my gaze.” Still, he revealed he is “constantly surprised” by strangers congratulation him on the birth of his child. “It’s insane,” he said.
He’s particularly annoyed by the “Aniston is pregnant” stories: “You feel protective, of course. She’s similar to me—she doesn’t pay attention to it unless she has to. But there’s definitely times when your privacy is invaded. Areas of your personal life that are yours to discuss among yourselves and your friends and family shouldn’t be a topic for national debate.”
Jennifer’s HuffPo essay: “I was very, very proud of her for writing that. It was very well written. She expressed herself beautifully. [Jennifer] understands that she is someone who has attracted, for whatever reason, a level of attention where she’s become this sort of fable, I guess, in some sort of bizarre morality play of what a woman should be.”
“Some sort of bizarre morality play of what a woman should be…” Yeah, I get that. Eleven years ago, the tabloids cast Jennifer as the good girl/wronged woman/pitiable Miss Lonelyhearts/everywoman. And that worked for her for years, until that image became suffocating, and she tried to break out of it. Which sort of happened around the time she fell for Justin, I guess. But the remnants still float around, obviously. As for Justin being comfortable with the “Mr. Jennifer Aniston” title… maybe he’s the biggest feminist out there, but I really doubt he’s completely cool with it.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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