Jennifer Aniston’s next role might hit uncomfortably close to home.
The 56-year-old Friends star is preparing to play the lead role in a streaming adaptation of Jennette McCurdy’s memoir, titled I’m Glad My Mom Died. The memoir, known for its provocative title, delves into McCurdy’s experiences with a ‘narcissistic’ parent.
Aniston has a personal connection to the topic of challenging maternal relationships, as she has openly discussed her own rocky relationship with her late mother, Nancy Dow.
Aniston will both star in and produce the 10-episode series for Apple TV+, where she is already featured in The Morning Show alongside fellow prominent actress Reese Witherspoon.
In her book – released by Simon & Schuster on August 9, 2022 – McCurdy discusses the complicated relationship she had with her late mother Debra (to be played by Aniston).
On Wednesday, after news of the casting broke, a source exclusively told the Daily Mail: ‘This is a very poignant role for Jen to say the very least.’
Jennifer Aniston, 56, is getting ready to star in the Apple TV+ series I’m Glad My Mom Died. The Daily Mail is taking a closer look Aniston’ turbulent relationship with her late mother, Nancy Dow
The insider said: ‘She loved Jenette’s story and is very passionate about bringing it to life.
‘Of course, the book is a topic that Jen and many other daughters of difficult mothers can relate to.’
In the memoir, McCurdy, a former iCarly child star, opened up about how her mother – who died in 2013 – put her own identity on her daughter’s Hollywood career.
‘The dramedy will center on the codependent relationship between an 18-year-old actress in a hit kid’s show, and her narcissistic mother who relishes in her identity as ‘a starlet’s mother,” Apple said in a statement.
It appears Aniston’s relationship with her mother was, at times, just as fraught.
Dow, a former actress and model herself, died in May 2016. She was 79. Her death reportedly came just weeks after she and her daughter spent time together for the first time in more than four years.
‘It is with great sadness that my brother John and I announce the passing of our Mother Nancy Dow,’ Jennifer told People in a statement at the time.
‘She was 79 years old and passed peacefully surrounded by family and friends after enduring a long illness. We ask that our family’s privacy be respected as we grieve our loss.’
In 2018, Aniston opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about the issues that caused friction between herself and Dow.
‘Because she was a model, she was gorgeous, stunning,’ Aniston said. ‘I wasn’t. I never was. I honestly still don’t think of myself in that sort of light, which is fine.’
Dow married Jennifer’s late dad, John Aniston, in 1965. They divorced in 1980. The couple pictured above at their Sherman Oaks, California, house in 1975
After news broke of the A-lister’s casting, a source told the Daily Mail exclusively: ‘This is a very poignant role for Jen to say the very least’ (Jennifer pictured with her parents in 1975)
‘She loved Jenette’s story and is very passionate about bringing it to life. Of course, the book is a topic that Jen and many other daughters of difficult mothers can relate to,’ the insider added. Aniston and her parents seen in 1975
‘She was also very unforgiving,’ Aniston added. ‘She would hold grudges that I just found so petty.’
Tellingly, the superstar didn’t invite her mother to her August 2015 nuptials to ex-husband Justin Theroux.
She visited her mother on May 12, 2016, breaking a years-long estrangement as Dow’s health had taken a downturn amid multiple strokes, rendering her unable to walk or speak in her final days, In Touch Weekly reported at the time.
‘Jen must have had a wake-up call and wanted to see her mother one last time before she passes,’ a source told the outlet.
Adding to the toxic tenor of the relationship was a 1999 book Dow released about her daughter titled From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir.
In another indicator of the tension, Dow did not leave Aniston anything in her will, In Touch Weekly reported two months after her passing.
Dow had a minor career in acting, appearing on 1960s TV shows such as The Beverly Hillbillies, The Ice House, Mr. Terrific and The Wild Wild West.
Adding to the toxic tenor of the relationship was a 1999 book Dow released about her daughter titled From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir. Dow pictured above in LA in 2008
Despite any past friction with her mother, Aniston recently praised Dow in an interview with People as she spoke fondly about growing up in a healthy household
Jenette McCurdy published her memoir in 2022, nine years after her mother’s death
She was married to Jack Melick from 1956 to 1961, and then married Aniston’s dad, John Aniston, in 1965. Aniston’s parents were married until 1980, and her father died in 2022.
The deal for the limited series of I’m Glad My Mom Died comes less than three years after the release of the memoir, which stayed on the New York Times Best Seller list for nearly two years.
McCurdy and Ari Katcher are reportedly commandeering the writing, executive producing and showrunning efforts.
Despite any past friction with her mother, Aniston recently praised Dow in an interview with People as she spoke fondly about growing up in a healthy household.
‘I was never allowed to have a sugary piece of anything, and I was also served spelt bread,’ the actress said. ‘I grew up in one of those holistic households… so I’ve sort of lived by that.’
Additionally, Aniston said her mother ‘drilled’ into her ‘the importance of drinking water’ as well as putting on face and eye cream every day.’
