Name a ‘90s actress more iconic than Jennifer Aniston, we’ll wait. The beloved Hollywood star, who got her start on the hit sitcom Friends, has been gracing film and TV screens and setting style and beauty trends (remember “the Rachel” haircut craze?) for decades. Although Aniston is now a household name, once upon a time, she was a New York City drama student with big dreams.

From her early role in the Ferris Bueller television show (yes, this was a thing) to almost not getting the part of Rachel, we take a look at some of Aniston’s early career highlights.

1

1980s: Early Star Quality

Aniston, who graduated from New York’s LaGuardia High School of Music & Performing Arts (aka the Fame school) in 1987, poses for a portrait in the ‘80s.

3

1990: With Charlie Schlatter at Spago

Aniston briefly dated her Ferris Bueller co-star, Schlatter, during the early ‘90s. The two were photographed out on a date at Spago, Wolfgang Puck’s celeb-loved Beverly Hills restaurant.

4

1990: At the NBC Stars Party

Besides Ferris Bueller, Aniston also appeared in the TV movie Camp Cucamonga and seven episodes of Molloy, a comedy series that also starred Mayim Bialik.

5

1992: Leprechaun Premiere Party

In 1992, the young actress had her first-ever movie role in Leprechaun, a horror-comedy fantasy flick. During a 2021 video interview with InStyle, Aniston shared that she was afraid the film would negatively affect her acting career.

6

1993: On the Set of Burke’s Law

A year later, she acted in an episode of Burke’s Law, a television series that aired on CBS.

7

1994: On the Set of Muddling Through

In 1994, Aniston starred in yet another short-lived sitcom, Muddling Through, as Madeline Drego, the daughter of Stephanie Hodge’s character Connie Drego, an ex-convict who returns to her family.

8

1994: Filming Friends

Later that year, Aniston landed the role of a lifetime as Rachel Green in the television series Friends. However, Aniston almost didn’t star in the iconic show. During an interview on SiriusXM’s Gayle King in the House, Aniston shared that her other series during the time, Muddling Through, was set to be renewed for a few more episodes. After hearing this, the Friends producers started auditioning other actresses as a backup.

9

1995: NBC Press Tour Party

Aniston was catapulted to superstardom after Friends began airing in 1994 due to the excellent dynamics that she and the whole ensemble cast shared right off the bat. Here, she’s pictured attending one of NBC’s press tour parties in 1995.