It’s the self-billed anti-rom-com everyone’s been talking about – The Break-Up, starring ‘non-couple’ Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, premiered last night in London’s Leicester Square.
Amidst a tidal wave of publicity following the birth of Shiloh Pitt two weeks ago, thousands of fans, press and a phalanx of photographers were out in full force to see whether Jen and Vince’s onscreen break-up was just the opposite off-camera.
The film, conceived and produced by Vaughn, cartwheeled to the top of the US box office – raking in some $38.1 million in its opening weekend – and tells the tale of Gary (Vaughn) and Brooke (Aniston), a couple who refuse to agree on the ownership of their condo following the painful, speedy dissolution of their relationship.
For Jennifer Aniston, the irony that lies between fact and fiction is, of course, irrepressible. Aniston and Vaughn’s alleged off-screen romance is reported to have stemmed from the set of the movie – something director and first arrival on the red carpet director Peyton Reed (Down With Love, Bring It On) may have noticed before filming began: “Anytime you’re casting a movie you hope your leading actors will develop a chemistry, so when we began rehearsing it was great to see Jen and Vince volleying back and forth with such ease”. But when discussing the casting of Jennifer Aniston as Vaughn’s co-star, Reed expressed his concern at the timing: ”We desperately wanted Jen for the movie but we thought she might think the offer of a movie called The Break-Up was some sort of cruel joke. Luckily, she has a fantastic sense of humour and she didn’t throw the script away!”
Following the end of her decade-long stint as Rachel in Friends, Aniston’s transition to the big screen has been far from easy. 2002’s The Good Girl may have brought her sizeable critical acclaim, but a string of recent rom-com flops has seen everyone’s favourite girl next door fail to hit the big screen big-time. But her enthusiasm for the role opposite Vince Vaughn was unwavering: “He is a pro. He’s one of the best at what he does. He’s fantastic. He’s great.” When questioned about the movie’s unconventional ending she commented: “The ending is hopeful. A lot of endings are so clichéd. There is a truth in the way this movie ends”.
Indeed, it is rumoured the final scene of The Break-Up was disliked by test audiences, forcing re-shoots and problematic discussions between studio and director. Talking exclusively to Empire, Peyton Reed set the record straight: “We shot several versions of the ending. The final scene you see in the movie now is very close to the original script idea, although the first version we shot contained some comedic elements that didn’t really work – it had subtitles for a start! But we managed to get the studio to support the ending we have now – the desired emotional content is there”.
And Vince Vaughn – dramatic heartfelt comedy rather than his usual goofball silliness? It seems the funnyman’s emotions were firing on all cylinders during the making of this movie: “It’s great to move and adapt a character from an independent film like Swingers and bring the same elements into a major studio-backed romantic comedy”. And on Jennifer? As he was swiftly moved on by his entourage, his thoughts on his leading lady were clear: ”She’s a great actress. She's the only one we wanted for the role. We needed someone who could combine comedy and drama. And we got that".
The Break-Up opens across the UK on July 21.