Jennifer Aniston began her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday by paying a heartfelt tribute to the late Kris Kristofferson, who passed away over the weekend.
Aniston had the opportunity to work with Kristofferson on two projects, including her directorial debut, the 2006 short film Room 10, where he starred alongside Robin Wright.
“Surprisingly, when we asked him, he said yes,” Aniston recalled. “It was one of the most special experiences I’ve ever had.” She praised Kristofferson’s performance, saying, “He broke our hearts; he was extraordinary.”
The two collaborated again in 2009’s He’s Just Not That Into You, where Kristofferson played Aniston’s onscreen father. Aniston shared a personal anecdote about Kristofferson attending her 40th birthday party with his wife.
“He came to my 40th birthday party, his wife and he flew in,” she said. “He’s a lovely man. It’s a huge loss.”
Aniston also revealed that Kristofferson was a fan of her hit TV show Friends. When she asked him to be in her short film, his wife mentioned that they had been watching the show while filming abroad.
“They were shooting some movie in some foreign land, and I was so excited to meet him, and he’d been watching Friends, and we both had this moment. It was adorable,” she said.
Later in the show, Aniston promoted her children’s book, Clydeo Takes a Bite Out of Life, and addressed various rumors about herself.