Once again, Jennifer Aniston has been thrust into the spotlight as a woman who never tires of philosophising on love.
Ever since the controversial end of her marriage to Brad Pitt, Aniston has been the focus of never-ending romantic speculation. And she hasn't been able to find Mr Right since this highly-publicised split.
From the ebullient Vince Vaughn to the tell-all John Mayer, and most recently, Gerard Butler, Aniston has seen her love life turned into media fodder.
Her new film, The Bounty Hunter, is sparking even more gossip about her rumoured relationship with co-star Butler, with whom she celebrated her 41st birthday in Mexico in February together with a dozen other close friends.
Although she won't specifically confirm or deny her relationship with Butler, Aniston has plenty of nice things to say about the Ab-King.
"We just had so much fun together, you know. He's just fun. Gerry's the most unpretentious guy," declares Aniston.
"He's a guy's guy, but he's absolutely the most lovely and self-deprecating man and what you see is what you get... Gerry is one of those men who enjoy being open and vulnerable and determined at the same time."
In The Bounty Hunter, Aniston plays Nicole Hurly, an investigative journalist who finds herself being tracked down by her ex-husband (Butler), a professional bounty hunter whose job it is to catch criminals who have skipped out on their bail, after she violates the terms of her release from jail.
After he captures her, he learns that Nicole has gotten herself mixed up in something even worse than their marriage. The couple dodges bullets, speeding cars and resurfacing feelings of love, with some quippy one-liners and physical comedy thrown in.
Aniston reflects on the film and her life.
What was your birthday bash in Mexico like?
It was great. We decided on Mexico after a friend who was helping organise the party told me how badly the Mexican tourist resorts are suffering because of last year's swine flu scare and all the crime revolving around drug trafficking.
These people who work at those resorts survive on us coming down and spending money and coming to these beautiful places. So it sort of made sense to sort of say, "Hey, let's help out Mexico!" Let's shout out to these kids in Tijuana at El Faro and you know, have a big party... that's sort of our birthday celebration this year.
You were joined by your good friend Gerard, who co-stars with you in The Bounty Hunter. What was it like working with him?
Gerry just makes it so pleasant to be around him and enjoy his company. He's an interesting guy who has a terrific sense of life and spirit. We had a great rapport and I think that comes through in the film... We also look at work the same way... we always had each other's back.
So how does it feel to be 41?
Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone. It's our secret! (Laughs) Actually, I feel better than I ever have.
Do you feel you understand things better when it comes to who you are or what you want out of life?
I've felt that way for a while now. It doesn't happen in a flash, it's more of a slow process of gaining wisdom and then you reach a point where you realise that you've figured things out in a general way. So everything becomes easier and you look at life through this lens of greater self-awareness and knowing how to live more happily and enjoy everything more.
Life becomes less of a struggle.
Do you get annoyed with the constant speculation about your love life?
(Laughs) I love to read about what my love life is really like! (Laughs) I've grown indifferent to all the stories. So much gets written that it begins to turn off the public and people stop believing all the crap.
For a long time I've tried to live as quietly as I can without letting it affect my enjoyment of life. I know that being part of this business invites that kind of attention and so I try not to let it bother me and just get on with my life.
Does the media attention make it harder to see new people?
Not really. You just become more careful about where you might meet. It's not the main issue. You're always going to meet a lot of people anyway and the hardest part is finding someone you feel comfortable with and wanting to get to know them better.
I'm pretty relaxed when it comes to meeting someone. I try not to put on an act and I just try to be as natural as possible and have a good time.
We all want to make a good impression, but I think it's better not to want to reveal everything about yourself right away. When I meet someone I'm interested in getting a general impression of their character and what makes them tick.
What makes relationships so difficult?
We're all a lot more complicated. We've also become more wary and more demanding, maybe.
Men and women are developing higher expectations and sometimes that places too much pressure because your partner is not always going to be everything you want.
We have to learn to appreciate our differences and enjoy the fact that we all evolve differently over time and so it's only natural that couples have to adjust to those chances. If you're open to that, it can be interesting and you can make that part of your journey together.
Relationships are not static things. You have to keep communicating and trying to understand your partner as you go along.
So it's not just all about love?
Love is the beginning of the process that draws you together but the intensity and the nature of love is something that evolves as well. We all know that things change over time and you're constantly dealing with different issues and conflicts and you have to be willing to work things out and try to do that as harmoniously as possible.
That's the tough part. We all come across obstacles and it's how you deal with conflicts that is probably the most critical part of staying together and focusing on all the things you love about the other person.
The biggest thing is being able to face up to all the chances and challenges. It's hard sometimes, but if two people have some perspective then it's going to be easier not to allow the bad times to drag you down.
Has your acting career been a source of comfort or a kind of refuge when things have gone badly for you?
Acting has always been a way for me to get in touch with deeper feelings and explore a lot of emotions and pain. My parents' divorce left me with a lot of sadness and pain and acting and especially humour was my way of dealing with all that.
And it took a long time to finally feel free of a lot of lingering doubts and confusion. But those experiences made me much more sensitive to people and deeper feelings that once you're able to really figure things out then that's very freeing. Then life becomes much easier.
Are you still optimistic when it comes to relationships?
Yes! I've had some very wonderful experiences and over the years I've learnt so much more about myself and I hope I've reached a point where I'm ready to enjoy being with a great man and making a life and having a family together. That's always been my dream.
Don't miss it
The Bounty Hunter is released in the UAE Thursday.
