Zoey Deutch recalls 'surreal' experience sharing the screen with Jennifer Aniston
The actress says sharing the screen with Jennifer Aniston in their new comedy was one of the most inspiring experiences of her career
Zoey Deutch has opened up about the unforgettable experience of sharing the screen with Jennifer Aniston, calling it one of the most surreal moments of her career.
The actress stars in the new comedy Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, which features several celebrity cameos, including a memorable appearance by the former Friends star playing herself.
Speaking to People, Deutch, 31, said working alongside Aniston was both inspiring and unforgettable.
"That was incredibly surreal for me," Deutch said. "I have met this person and I've spoken to them a couple times, and they're incredibly warm and lovely and funny, but working with them was absolutely one of the most surreal moments of my life and inspiring too."
She went on to praise Aniston's talent, admitting she found herself watching the Emmy-winning actress more than focusing on her own performance.
"It's like when you just see someone who's the greatest of all time doing it," Deutch said.
"Every take was just so brilliant and I was probably the worst actor in the world because I was more of an audience than a participant. I couldn't help myself. It was definitely one of the coolest moments of my life."
In the comedy, Deutch plays Gail Daughtry, a cheerful hairdresser from Kansas who discovers her fiancé, Tom, in a compromising situation with Jennifer Aniston after the actress visits their small town for a cookbook signing.
Tom insists the encounter was acceptable because Aniston was his "celebrity sex pass"—a famous person he had jokingly been given permission to sleep with during an earlier conversation with Gail.
Determined to even the score before their wedding, Gail embarks on a wild cross-country adventure to track down her own celebrity pass, Jon Hamm.
The film is directed by David Wain and co-written by Wain and Ken Marino, the creative duo behind the 2012 comedy Wanderlust, which also starred Aniston.
Deutch said she immediately trusted Wain's creative vision and relished the opportunity to work with the filmmaker.
"I have been a fan of David's work for so long. I just was like, no one else could write this. No one else could make this. It's so singular and so specific to him," she said.
"And he's the kind of director where he's like, 'Do this,' and you don't question it because it might not make sense to you in the moment, but you trust him because he has such a unique world and vision."
Alongside the comedy, Deutch also stars in Netflix's Voicemails for Isabelle and the animated feature Minions & Monsters.
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is now playing in theaters.
