Hollywood Movies

When the producers of Marley and Me sent Jennifer Aniston a copy of the book on which it’s based, she didn’t want to read it.

She knew it was about a couple and their neurotic pooch, and, like many actors, didn’t fancy playing second fiddle to an animal.

Then she read John Grogan’s book, which reduced her to tears and she quickly realized it isn’t a silly story about the world’s worst dog.

Starring Aniston and Owen Wilson, the comedy/drama follows the couple over the course of their pet’s life as they build careers, have three children, make compromises, survive a tragedy and start to approach middle age.

The director, David Frankel, has a fair pedigree in the field of smart comedies: he helmed The Devil Wears Prada and episodes of Entourage and Sex and the City.

Frankel says he was initially reluctant to cast Jen, who’s 39, as her character ages from 22 to 40, until their first meeting. “When she came down the stairs, all of my anxiety went out the window,” he says. “Within five minutes I said, ‘It’s yours if you want to do it.’”

For Wilson, the movie marks a return to form after a year of personal hell. “Everything he went through in the last year really allowed for a beautiful performance,” says Aniston. “He arrives in this film.”

Marley and Me opens on January 1.

Originally posted here:
Jen and Owen: laughs and tears in Marley and Me