Jennifer Aniston and Quinta Brunson on Saying ‘F— It,’ No Social Media Policies at Work and Why ‘Friends’ Is Still ‘One of the Best Shows on TV’ – It’s Unseen
During the third seasons of their respective series, “Abbott Elementary” and “The Morning Show,” Quinta Brunson’s Janine Teagues and Jennifer Aniston’s Alex Levy both overcame significant challenges.
Janine moved from teaching at Abbott to working at the Philadelphia school district, where she tried to effect systemic change. “I’m excited for how much she’s grown in this time,” Brunson, the Emmy winner and creator of “Abbott Elementary,” tells Aniston. “And now she’s back at Abbott, but she’s there with a newfound understanding of who she is.”
Meanwhile, Alex found herself enmeshed professionally and personally with the diabolical tech billionaire Paul Marks (Jon Hamm), who wanted to buy and then dismantle UBA, the TV network where Alex is a star anchor. But after finding out what he was really up to, Alex exposed Paul, thwarting the sale. Their budding romance went into the toilet, along with his purchase of UBA.
There’s a sweetness to Aniston and Brunson’s mutual admiration. “Abbott Elementary” has found inspiration in “Friends” — especially in Janine’s “will-they-won’t- they” dynamic with fellow teacher Gregory (Tyler James Williams), but also in its comedic rhythms too.
Oh! Since the end of Season 2 — COVID — she had a near-death experience. And she was coming out of that world like, “Eff it, I’m going to go live a little bit and not be so perfectly coiffed Alex.” And here she is, falling for this man who comes into the company, and of course, everyone’s like,
“What is this guy all about?” It brought a lot of stuff up for each character: What do they stand for, morally? You’re a female and you’re falling for this person, and then all of a sudden you’re like, “I’m a journalist and my journalistic integrity is at play here.
You guys operated like a play. To me, those are the best multi-cams — when you just feel like you’re watching a play, and your laughter isn’t interrupting the flow of the series. But who knows? Maybe one day I’ll do a multi-cam.
ANISTON: I think you and I could do one together — hello? — because it was a pretty nice experience, and we can bring it back to whatever maybe we want. When you started the casting process of “Abbott Elementary,” was that something that you couldn’t wait to do?
