Justin Theroux sounds like one supportive husband.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, the actor reportedly shrugged off being called “Mr. Jennifer Aniston” and said he takes the nickname in stride.
“It doesn’t really get under my skin,” he said. “It’s just one of those things that’s a shorthand for describing who I am.”
Being married to one of the world’s most famous women has given Justin the chance to observe and experience fame in a whole new way, and he went on to applaud his wife’s resilience in the face of her constant media scrutiny.
“She has lived through a lot of bulls***,” Justin said of his longtime love, whom he married in 2015. “Many people would have crumbled under some of the stresses that have been put on her. I’m very proud of her for that, for the way she handles herself. So in a weird way it’s an honor to stand behind her. Truly, in that sense, she’s amazing.”
Calling Jennifer “a proper badass,” Justin said the actress addressed the topic “beautifully” in a searing Huffington Post essay she wrote back in July.
“[She] understands that she is someone who has attracted, for whatever reason, a level of attention where she’s become this sort of fable, I guess, in some sort of bizarre morality play of what a woman should be,” he continued.
As for how he processes his own stardom, Justin told the British paper that keeping conscious boundaries with his public persona has become a requirement.
“You start to feel like the crazy person they’re portraying you as if you follow that s***,” he said of tabloid coverage, explaining how he’s learned over time to shift his focus elsewhere.
“When it first started happening I’d sort of casually pay attention to it, and then I’d realize I was eating poison. Now I just avert my gaze,” he said.
Justin may have gotten more used to the spotlight over the years, but that doesn’t mean he never gets caught off guard anymore.
According to the UK publication, the 45-year-old is still “constantly surprised” when strangers comment on his gossip headlines.
“It’s really insane,” he said, noting that some have even gone as far as to congratulate him on welcoming fictitious children.
Justin may have passed up an opportunity to skyrocket to the A-list earlier in life, having turned down a screen test for the “Friends” pilot more than 20 years ago.
Although a role on the classic sitcom would have possibly seen him and Jennifer couple up sooner, Justin said he wouldn’t change how their life – or his career – turned out.
“Who wouldn’t want to be a bazillionaire?” he told the paper. “But I don’t regret it.”
Catch Justin next on the big screen when his anticipated thriller “The Girl on the Train” hits theaters on Friday, Oct. 7.
— Erin Biglow