Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson – Marley and Me Press Conference
You seem to jump effortlessly from genre to genre from independent to mainstream. Do you find it challenging to find the kinds of projects that really get you going creatively?Jennifer Aniston: "Yeah, sure it's hard, if you're specific and picky. But I've been lucky to have things come to me that creatively fulfill me, and those are usually the independent films just because you have a little bit more freedom. But this particular movie is just rare where you kind of hit all the notes. It was unbelievably creatively fulfilling. It's a mainstream film and I loved everybody I worked with. This one was sort of a home run. They don't always all happen that way."
What's the appeal of this massive bestselling story? What's the key appeal of Marley?
Owen Wilson: "It's strange because it does seem that it's not just America. We were talking to John Grogan and in Argentina they love the book. I guess there's something in the story that has a sort of universal appeal that people are able to connect with."
Jennifer Aniston: "And it's a true story, you know? It's a simple story and I think people go to movies and they escape with these big crazy plotlines and here is a movie where people are actually going like, 'That's me,' or 'I did that.' 'I walked through that.' Or 'my dog' or even if you don't have a dog or you've been in a relationship and it doesn't even have to be a married relationship, just partnered life…"
Owen Wilson: "The connection."
Jennifer Aniston: "The simplicity of it."
Owen Wilson: "You remember the story about the parrot, Alex? There was a book that's come out on Alex & Me. First it was in the New York Times, then they ended up doing three articles about it and now there's a book coming out of it. That's, I think, just this wanting to connect."
One of the greatest things about dogs is their unconditional love, but also they live in the present and have you guys learned to do that?
Jennifer Aniston: "Work in progress."
Owen Wilson: "I think that's the great thing about being with, having a dog, is it kind of forces you to be in the present because that's definitely where they're spending their time."
Did doing this movie change your feelings about what journalists do?
Owen Wilson: "It seemed like it would be more fun to be a journalist than to be an editor. To be out there doing stories… It seemed like of the stories, [Eric Dane's] stories were more interesting. You were out doing more Woodward/Bernstein type stuff. It's like being in an action movie."
The reason this movie worked so well was because of the chemistry between you two. Was there a moment in the filming where you sort of realized that's there? You come across as a very married couple.
Owen Wilson: "We didn't really know each other before the movie began. We just met in passing, and I think it was more like in rehearsal just early on feeling like were on the same page with the way we felt things should go. The thing about chemistry, it's sort of you get along with a person and then sort of if the movie does well, then you have great chemistry."
What do you think about this film being the Old Yeller for a new generation?
Owen Wilson: "When you think of dog movies, that genre, Old Yeller is sort of the benchmark and you hope that you can raise your game up to that. So it's good then if you thought about that."
Jennifer, do you like going between TV and film?
Jennifer Aniston: "I got the opportunity to do films while I was on Friends and I think I kind of just created, I built that up a little bit and somehow was welcomed into the other side. I crossed over."
Do you think there'll be a Friends movie?
Jennifer Aniston: "I hope not."
