Interestingly, Aniston was first asked to audition for the role of Monica (played by Courtney Cox Arquette). She auditioned for the role of Rachel Green instead, playing a snob-turned-waitress to perfection. When Friends became as famous as it did, she was suddenly a household name.
Her movie career also took off, with hits like Picture Perfect (1997), Rock Star (2001), Bruce Almighty (2003) and Along Came Polly (2004) in quick succession.
GQ's Woman Of The Year isn't Aniston's first honour. She has, in the past, topped a large number of lists, including People Weekly's Most Intriguing People (1995), People magazine's Most Beautiful People in the World (1999), E!'s Top 20 Entertainers of 2001, People's 50 Most Beautiful People (2002) and FHM's #11 on the Top 100 Sexiest Women 2004.