Jennifer Aniston on How She Looks and Feels So Good at 53

Whether she's on the big screen, attending red carpet events, or low-key chilling at home, Jennifer Aniston is always glowing. After speaking with her on Zoom, I can verify that there's no production trickery going on under those bright TV lights—yes, she really looks that good. And not only does she look that good—according to Aniston herself, she feels better than she ever has before.

So what's her secret? "For me, it's practicing mindfulness. That means staying away from my phone as long as I can in the morning (which infuriates some people), meditating, and not letting the world bombard me like it does, which is especially important in the business that we're in," she says. "I used to just burst myself into the world and not have a moment, and I think it's so important to give yourself that extra 30 minutes in the morning, which is usually the minimum of what I try to give myself to be alone and do absolutely nothing."

And her beauty hacks are—surprisingly—just as simple. "The best beauty tip I have for people is to sleep and drink water, honestly. Did you know that so few people actually drink water? I'll get mad at my friend Courteney Cox all the time because she'll tell me she hasn't had a sip of water today—and I'm like…are you out of your mind? Water is everything."

Breakfast has also made all the difference for Aniston, but it doesn't have to be as lavish as you'd think. "Back in 2014, my doctor asked if I eat breakfast (which I didn't really), and he said to try this protein powder in a shake—and it was Vital Proteins. I've taken ingestible collagen every morning since then, and I've noticed such a difference in my hair, nails, endurance, and workouts."

Simplicity also applies to her beauty and fashion choices, which she prefers as natural and stripped-down as possible. As such, she reports that she was not a fan of the Rachel haircut (sorry, Friends fans). In celebration of her collaboration with Vital Proteins (you can shop the collagen and protein bars here!), we talked with Aniston about all things beauty, style, and wellness, from self-care post-pandemic to her thoughts on the return of Y2K fashion—plus, some upcoming projects that she's most excited about.

Aside from ingestible collagen, how do you like to take care of your body?

Jennifer Aniston: Here's the thing: There's no hack to wellness. Wellness is a commitment you have to choose every day, and for me it's doing a mindful wakeup every day with no phone and having a morning to myself. Meditation is also an important thing for me, to take a moment and ground yourself in the day, mindfully knowing what you're walking into. That was also something that was a big part of the pandemic—it allowed a lot of people to take pause and get off that hamster wheel that we were constantly running so furiously on.

What's been your favorite on-screen look so far?

JA: I loved myself as Dr. Julia in Horrible Bosses—although that was a wig, I loved the dark, black hair with a severe bang. I thought that was so fun. Oh, and also my look in Along Came Polly because that was just my natural hair, unlike the Rachel.

What did you think about the Rachel haircut?

JA: My honest thoughts? That hairstyle was such a struggle because I have really curly hair and it had to be blown out every time. I never used to spend that much time in the morning with my hair, and that look ended up having to be so…time-consuming, let's just say that."

Did being on Friends influence your personal fashion choices?

JA: Oh my God—I remember being on Friends and being on worst-dressed lists. There was this mean guy who used to do a big list every year, and I would always be on the worst-dressed list. It made me really think that I should look into getting a stylist. Honestly, the looks of the '90s were not that amazing back when we were actually living it. We were always trying to emulate something that had passed. In the '90s, we were trying to emulate the '70s because that was what was cool, and we're still doing that now. We just can't land on anything original—we're always just bringing something back—although I have to say the '90s did have a good square shoe, so I'm glad that's back.

What's a fashion trend that you hated?

JA: Skinny jeans. Thank God we rolled that one out.

What's an upcoming project that you're most excited about?

JA: We just finished Murder Mystery 2, and it's really fun. It's got another extraordinary cast and a real thriller suspense element to it, which I'm excited about. We're also about to start shooting season 3 of The Morning Show in August, which is going to be a really fun season. And then there's a couple other numbers in the oven that are not completely cooked just yet.