Jennifer Aniston turned down Kate Beckinsale’s role in Serendipity to get out of rom-com mold says director Peter Chelsom… and worked with Mark Wahlberg in Rock Star instead

Jennifer Aniston was very careful with her movie choices 20 years ago.

The Morning Show actress turned down the role Kate Beckinsale eventually picked up in the 2001 John Cusack romantic comedy Serendipity because she did not want to be labeled a romantic comedy queen, it has been claimed by the film’s director.

Instead, the Friends vet, 52, co-starred with Mark Wahlberg in the drama Rock Star about an unknown singer who lands his dream job when he replaces a music god in his favorite band.

I know what I am doing: Jennifer Aniston was very careful with her movie choices 20 years ago. Seen in 2001

Jen said no to this film: The Morning Show actress turned down the role Kate Beckinsale eventually picked up in the 2001 John Cusack romantic comedy Serendipity because she did not want to be labeled a romantic comedy queen, it has been claimed by the film’s director

Serendipity director Peter Chelsom told Insider that Aniston did not want to be coined a Romantic Comedy Princess.

She had already starred in two hit rom-coms: 1997’s Picture Perfect with Kevin Bacon and 1998’s The Objection Of My Affection with Paul Rudd. 

And her series Friends was like one long rom-com about Ross and Rachel.

So she tried to show her range.

Not for her: ‘I distinctly remember Jennifer Aniston coming in to meet us,’ said Chelsom. ‘I remember when she came in, she said, “I do a romantic comedy once a week,” her being on Friends at the time. So, she clearly had other things on her plate’

‘I distinctly remember Jennifer Aniston coming in to meet us,’ said Chelsom.

‘I remember when she came in, she said, “I do a romantic comedy once a week,” her being on Friends at the time. So, she clearly had other things on her plate and it was her decision not to do it.’

Peter added that Jennifer took a meeting with him ‘in good faith’ and there was not yet an offer on the table. But he added they would have made an offer very quickly if she had shown interest.

‘We definitely would have made her an offer if she wanted to make [the movie],’ said the iconic director. 

Better? Instead, the Friends vet, 52, co-starred with Mark Wahlberg in the drama Rock Star about an unknown singer who replaces a musical god

She had a groupie vibe for this film: Aniston was the understanding girlfriend for Rock Star

Chelsom also said that Carla Gugino also came ‘extremely close’ to landing the role. He shared that her audition was ‘spectacular.’

After Rock Star, Jennifer flexed her acting muscles even more as the dowdy small town cashier in The Good Girl with Jake Gyllenhaal which came out in 2002.

But after that film, she went back to comedy with the 2003 Jim Carrey film Bruce Almighty.

Then came 2004’s rom-com Along Came Polly with Ben Stiller, 2005’s Rumor Has It. In 2005 she tried her hand at the thriller Derailed with Clive Owen with mixed results. And in 2006 she showed promise as a broke maid in Friends With Money.

Her career is better than ever: Aniston has won praise for her role as morning anchor Alex Levy on The Morning Show; seen in 2020 in Los Angeles

The Break-Up in 2006 with then-beau Vince Vaughn followed as did 2008’s Management.

Aniston will next shoot Murder Mystery 2 with Adam Sandler this fall.

Last month, Aniston talked ageing.

The ex of Justin Theroux said she has adopted an holistic approach to wellness. The actress admits that her approach has evolved markedly over the years, and she now thinks it’s important to have an open-minded outlook.

The Hollywood star reflected: ‘Universally, we’re all going to grow up and get old. You can’t deny that, that is a guarantee.

‘But we can be vital and we can be thriving in our older years. Our society loves to say, ‘Oh, you’re this age, now you go downhill. And now you go off to pasture and that’s it, buh-bye. You’re no longer valuable or useful to society.’ And that’s just so wrong. I just think that’s just wrong.’

More fun: Aniston will next shoot Murder Mystery 2 with Adam Sandler this fall

Jennifer explained that her new approach to wellness extends well beyond nutrition.

She told E! News: ‘It’s not just nutritional, it’s emotional, it’s spiritual. Be really mindful about what you put into your ears, your eyes, what you intake, the social media that you put in, the news. It’s very, very, very, very crucial to our well-being.’

Jennifer credits her love of health and wellness to her late mom, Nancy Dow.

She shared: ‘My mom was a big health junkie. ‘When I was a kid, I didn’t get any of the fun Froot Loops or Captain Crunches or Wonder Breads. I was wheat germ and oatmeal, every kind of sprouted anything. My mom was always very health conscious and she did yoga, and so I grew up in it.’

However, the actress’ approach changed dramatically when she left home as a teenager.

She said: ‘My sort of teenage rebellion was eating bad food. All of a sudden, I was having whatever I wanted. I was having Fruity Pebbles! Then I started to notice such a significant change in the way I felt. I was exhausted, I was grumpy, my skin was awful, my body changed and I just didn’t like how I felt.’

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