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Jennifer Aniston opens up about difficult relationship with her late mother

Photo credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin - Getty Images
Photo credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin - Getty Images

From Prima

Jennifer Aniston has spoken candidly about her late mother Nancy Dow and how their dysfunctional relationship correlates with the complex maternal one in her new film Dumplin.

The Netflix movie follows Aniston as a pushy mother and former pageant queen whose plus-size daughter enters herself in the competition to make a statement about unrealistic beauty standards.

Photo credit: Paul Harris - Getty Images
Photo credit: Paul Harris - Getty Images

The 49-year-old Friends star endured a highly-publicised fall-out with former actress Dow, and when asked whether their relationship was similar to the strained mother and daughter one in the film, Aniston told The Sunday Telegraph: 'Where do we start?

'One of the reasons I really loved the mother-daughter aspect of [Dumplin] was because it was very similar in a way to what my mother, and our relationship, was. She was a model and she was all about presentation and what she looked like and what I looked like.'

Photo credit: Bob Mahoney / Netflix
Photo credit: Bob Mahoney / Netflix

Aniston reflected: 'I did not come out the model child she'd hoped for and it was something that really resonated with me, this little girl just wanting to be seen and wanting to be loved by a mum who was too occupied with things that didn't quite matter.'

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

The actress also added that the film's message is an important one because it encourages the audience to embrace their imperfections.

'This movie is so special because it is about stripping away those preconceived notions of beauty, trying to become individuals and not feeling that we have to live up to some unrealistic ideal that society is feeding up to us,' she explained.

Photo credit: Bob Mahoney / Netflix
Photo credit: Bob Mahoney / Netflix

'My idea of beauty is, it's what makes you feel beautiful and what makes me feel beautiful are the people around me, the life that I have. And maybe a good hair day.'

Dow was married to actor John Aniston but they divorced nine years after Jennifer was born.

Back in 2015, Aniston previously told The Hollywood Reporter about Dow: 'She was very critical of me.

'Because she was a model, she was gorgeous, stunning. I wasn't. I never was. I honestly still don't think of myself in that sort of light, which is fine.'

Dow passed away in May 2016.


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