When Justin Theroux was dating Jennifer Aniston, their relationship frequently made headlines. And while dealing with the media frenzy, the actor received “one of the most sage pieces of advice ever” from Jason Bateman.
“He said, ‘Look, in that side of the entertainment industry, a character is about to be born. And that character is you, but it’s not you,'” Theroux recalled in a teaser for his upcoming Sunday Today With Willie Geist interview. “‘That character is, you know, angry; that character has got a problem; that character is, you know, sweet. It’s just this little soap opera that gets written in the margins. And he said, ‘And so, my advice is don’t follow that guy’s storyline.'”
The Mosquito Coast star said he stuck to Bateman’s words of wisdom. As he put it, “That’s the only way you can keep sane in all that.”
Aniston and Theroux started dating in 2011 and got engaged in 2012, tying the knot in 2015. But just a few years later, the two announced they’d broken up at the end of 2017, noting they were “two best friends” who’d “decided to part ways as a couple” and looked forward to continuing their “cherished friendship.”