Silence can speak 1,000 words. But sometimes it just says, "Back off."
Or so it seemed after Today show entertainment correspondent Jill
Rappaport questioned Jennifer Aniston Tuesday about the latest grist for the
rumor mill surrounding Aniston and boyfriend Vince Vaughn. But although the
37-year-old actress clammed up, her Friends with Money costar Catherine Keener
was on-hand to ward off what could have been a pret-ty awkward silence.
When Rappaport asked Aniston if there was any truth behind the rumor that
Oprah Winfrey was throwing an $8 million blowout wedding for Aniston and her
beau, the Good Girl actress kept a stiff upper lip. But Aniston's lip was so
stiff, it wouldn't allow any words to come out, and before you can say Friends,
Keener spoke up on her pal's behalf.
"I thought you weren't going to go there," the 40-Year-Old Virgin star told
Rappaport, a reproachful edge in her voice. "But you did."
"It's frustrating because those rumors do get out there," Rappaport said in
her defense (just in case Aniston hadn't noticed all of those magazines out
there with herself, Vaughn, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie squeezed onto one
cover).
And, Rappaport added, "when you hear about an $8 million wedding, you'd like
to be invited."
"And now you won't be," jested Keener, drawing laughs from Aniston and fellow
interviewee Joan Cusack.
At one point in the conversation Rappaport had asked Keener about Aniston's
nickname for her, which apparently was "mama bear," in reference to Keener's
protective nature.
"More like mama cougar," the correspondent joked after Keener bared that
brief bit of claw in Aniston's defense. Rappaport also quipped that she hoped
Vaughn wouldn't mind having an extra wedding crasher at his nuptials.
Before the verbal ping-pong began, Rappaport's chat with the three
actresses revolved mainly on their friendly bond during filming. The subject of
friendship, however, inevitably led to a question for Aniston about how the
support of friends and family has helped her through the recent public turmoil
in her life.
Aniston called all the love in her corner "a beautiful thing."
"A lot of people have stuff that they go through in life that's hard, and
they show up and they're a professional, and she was a great example of that,"
Cusack said.
In Friends with Money, Aniston plays the aimless, less affluent friend of
three married women played by Keener, Cusack and Frances McDormand. Lovely and
Amazing director Nicole Holofcener did the honors for this film, which opens
Friday.
But who needs friends like these when Mama Bear has your back?