The internet has been reeling all day over a star-studded virtual table read of Cameron Crowe’s 1982 classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The charity event brought together some of the best actors of our day including Morgan Freeman, Matthew McConaughey, Julia Roberts and Shia LaBeouf, who portrayed Sean Penn’s Spicoli. (Don’t worry, Penn also participated too.) But it was Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s reunion that really stole the show.
The Hollywood ex-couple got divorced back in 2005 after their high-profile relationship started back in 1998. They memorably shared the screen back in 2001 for a memorable Friends episode, “The One With The Rumor,” and fans loved seeing them play off each other again for the Fast Times table read. Dane Cook, who hosted the reenactment and played Mark "Rat" Ratner in the Friday event, explained how they got involved with these words:
I threw out a bunch of names originally, and was fortunate enough to get a couple of those names pretty quickly. I mean, Jennifer Aniston was lovely and was so gung-ho. Julia Roberts came in within that first week or two, and within 10 days, I knew that this could go the distance. In terms of casting and how we wanted it to come together, there's some expectation of what kind of person should be playing this role or that role, but truly it was about, let's really try to break up the diversity, and let's be unexpected. You know, a live read is a celebration of the written story.
As Dane Cook told People, Jennifer Aniston jumped at the opportunity to play Linda Barrett for the event called Dane Cook Presents Feelin' A-Live: Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The table read was created for a good cause, supporting relief efforts for the ongoing pandemic. Proceeds for the fundraiser are going to Sean Penn’s nonprofit CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) and REFORM Alliance.
Julia Roberts also moved quickly on starring in the project, playing Stacy Hamilton, the sister of Brad Hamilton, the character Brad Pitt portrayed during the table read. Pitt and Aniston seem to be on good terms, since the former specifically called out the latter at the start of the virtual meeting. Check out their cute exchange here:
The reunion has obviously sent fans of the couple into a spiral, but then again, so did their mini-reunion at the SAG Awards at the top of the year. At the ceremony, Brad Pitt won for his supporting role in Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, and Aniston won for her role in the AppleTV+ series The Morning Show. The pair were spotted sharing a moment backstage, and this Fast Times appearance fuels some more friendly fire their way. Here’s the moment that everyone is talking about:
Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt read a scene where Brad Hamilton is having a steamy fantasy about Linda Barrett that had Jimmy Fallon, Julia Roberts and Matthew McConaughey grinning and laughing as Morgan Freeman broke from the script for a moment to say “Lord have mercy.”
Second to Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s reunion was Shia LaBeouf’s take on Jeff Spicoli, which had the actor sitting in his car smoking as he poured out the lines with seriousness. LaBeouf notably starred with Pitt and Penn in 2014’s Fury. The table read also had Ray Liotta as Mr. Hand, John Legend as Charles Jefferson, Henry Golding as Mr. Vargas, Sean Penn as a delivery driver and Jimmy Kimmel as all other characters. Plus, Chrissy Teigen stopped in by accident.
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