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 In the film, which had its world premiere at the Toronto
International Film Festival on Monday, Aniston plays Claire
Simmons, a woman suffering from constant pain and pill addiction
who is haunted by hallucinations of a fellow support-group
member who committed suicide.
To prepare for the role, the former "Friends" star drew on the
experiences of two friends who lived with chronic pain. She also
wore a brace that prevented her from slouching to mimic the
stiff movement required.
"For me, it was really important to stay true to what the
medicine I was taking physically would be doing to my body and
at what point," Aniston said.
"It turns out if you walk like that for five weeks, you do
actually become in pain."
As for the emotional aspect of portraying a woman dealing with
chronic pain and grief, Aniston said she was able to go home at
the end of the day and leave the psychological component at
work.
"It was a hard place to be, but I slept and I was just eager to
get to work every day. I really loved spending that time with
(the character)," she said.
Much of the focus surrounding "Cake," has been on the
performance from the 45-year-old Aniston, who went without
makeup save for the character's white scars across her face.
An early review from Deadline called her performance an Oscar
contender, while Variety said Aniston gives "a strong if
self-consciously deglammed performance."
But the movie overall has received mixed reviews, with Britain's
Guardian newspaper deeming it "about as fun to watch as
sciatica."
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"It's just the farthest thing from anything I've ever done," Aniston
said of her decision to take the part in "Cake."
"I knew this would be an extraordinary challenge for me and I was so
excited and so ready to dive in and take it on."
Aniston, who rose to fame starring on the hit television series
"Friends" in the 1990s, has had a mixed record on the big screen,
though she won acclaim for her roles in "The Good Girl," and
"Friends With Money."
"Cake" is directed by Daniel Barnz, who came across Patrick Tobin's
script while he was judging a screenwriting competition.
The script grew out of a short story Tobin had written after hearing
the experiences of a friend who ran a support group for women in
chronic pain.
At the screening, Barnz praised Aniston as being "one of the
greatest actresses I know."
"Because the character herself can be difficult and acerbic and
somewhat harsh, it felt like we had to cast somebody who you can
forgive immediately," Barnz said.
(Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson, G Crosse)
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