Jennifer Aniston Gets Nostalgic About the "Magic" of 'Friends' and Her Co-Stars

From the groundbreaking Rachel haircut to the iconic phrase "we were on a break," few shows in television history have been quite as culturally impactful as Friends. And now, 30 years later, Jennifer Anniston has explained exactly why the show remains as important to her as it is does to her fans.

In a new interview celebrating People's 50th anniversary, the actor recalled her first years as Rachel Green on the iconic NBC show while reminiscing about the cast's first photoshoot for People back in Season 1. "I think we were holding a sheet over us and I don't know what that meant," she said.

"Oh, everything was the most exciting thing on the planet," she gushed. "It was just magic. Nothing was not exciting. Everything was exciting."

Friends debuted 30 years ago in 1994 and catapulted a young, then-unknown Aniston to fame along with her five co-stars, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc.

"I do remember stepping onto the set and I don't know, it was just magic," she said of her first day on set. "It was the best."

She added, "The cast that I met, the show that I was able to be on that has touched so many people and continues to touch people — that's probably the most important."

Aniston and her castmates remained close for decades after the show ended in 2004 following 10 seasons. The gang have reunited numerous times over the years, including in 2021 for a televised reunion. Last year, when Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing, died, Aniston shared a touching tribute to her "little brother".

Three decades have passed since Aniston's Rachel Green days — and a lot has certainly changed. But it's clear that for her and her fans, Friends will always be magical.