James McAvoy Recalls Meeting Jennifer Aniston: ‘It Wasn’t Great’

James McAvoy recalls his rather awkward encounter with his celebrity crush, Jennifer Aniston, US Weekly reported. During his appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on September 11, McAvoy recounted their initial meeting at a Hollywood party when he first moved to Los Angeles. He remembers that things didn’t go smoothly, primarily due to his own starstruck feelings.

"I did meet her and it wasn’t great," McAvoy admitted but quickly clarified that this wasn’t a reflection on Aniston herself. The Scottish actor, who was 22 at the time, shared how actress Lucy Liu, whom he had just met, introduced him to her friends, and among them was Aniston. "Just as Liu was about to introduce me, she got pulled away by someone she knew," he said, leaving McAvoy standing awkwardly with Aniston and her friends.

Attempting to break the ice, McAvoy turned to Aniston and said, "So you’re Jennifer Aniston and you’re in Friends." This only added to his discomfort, and he turned away from the camera in embarrassment while retelling the story. Despite the bumpy encounter, he noted that Aniston was lovely about it.

McAvoy isn’t alone in his admiration for Aniston. David Schwimmer, Aniston’s Friends co-star, revealed during the 2021 Friends reunion special that he had a significant crush on her during the show’s first season. Both actors confessed to feelings for each other at different times, though their real-life relationship remained strictly platonic due to their individual relationship statuses.

Similarly, Jake Gyllenhaal, who acted alongside Aniston in 2002’s The Good Girl, admitted he struggled because of his longstanding crush on her. While his feelings weren’t particularly sparked by her role in Friends, they stemmed from her overall charm and personality.

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