Although it may seem like fame and money could help us hide from all our troubles, Jennifer Aniston told fans over the weekend that she, too, struggles with self-doubt and heartbreak.
When a fan asked if she ever got up in the morning and didn’t know who she was during the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy, the actress spoke eloquently about the many times she’s questioned her abilities.
“There’s not enough fingers and toes in this entire room to count how many times that moment has happened to me,” Aniston replied, teary-eyed.
“I mean ― my gosh. We’re all human beings at the end of the day. Whether we’re a waitress or we’re a baker or we’re a student or whatever we are, at the end of the day you kind of hit walls and think, I kind of can’t go any farther. Or this is too much. My heart can’t take it. Or the pain is too great, or am I good enough? Can I, will I, survive? And, we just have to sort of somehow miraculously overcome. You just go, ‘I can’t. Yes, I can. Yes, you can.’”
Aniston was met with rousing applause at the end of her response, before reminding her audience that everyone battles the same confidence issues.
“And also know that your actors, your idols, your icons, whatever you call them, have all had that experience in their lives many, many times,” the actress said. “There’s nothing that separates us from you, because we all started at the same place. We all came out of nowhere. Don’t punish yourself if you feel that. Go talk to people and seek help and always find something to inspire you.”
Earlier this month, the 47-year-old made headlines for penning an emotional Huffington Post blog tearing apart the media for its criticism of female celebrities.
“The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing,” Aniston wrote. “The way I am portrayed by the media is simply a reflection of how we see and portray women in general, measured against some warped standard of beauty.”
Numerous celebrities ― including Chrissy Teigen, Justin Theroux and Melissa McCarthy ― praised Aniston’s candor in her open letter. We hope her recent words on overcoming self-doubt will affect just as many.
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