Jennifer Aniston played a Prom Queen and Homecoming Queen in “Friends,” and now she’ll take on the role of a former beauty queen. Variety reports that the expert tiara-wearer has joined the cast of “Dumplin,’” an indie teen comedy directed by Anne Fletcher (“27 Dresses”).
Based on Julie Murphy’s 2015 book of the same name, the Texas-set story follows “a confident teen girl — named Dumplin’ by her former beauty queen mom (Aniston) — taking a job at the local fast-food joint,” the source summarizes. “She meets a former jock whom she likes and he seems to like her back, but when she begins to doubt herself, she sets out to take back her confidence by entering a beauty pageant and gaining respect for her mother.” No word on who will play Dumplin’.
Kristin Hahn, who penned Catherine Hardwicke’s next movie, “Stargirl,” adapted the script and is producing along with Michael Costigan (“Stoker,” “Ghost in the Shell”) of COTA Films.
“Dumplin’” marks Fletcher’s first foray into the teen genre. She most recently helmed “Hot Pursuit,” an action comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara. “The Guilt Trip,” “The Proposal,” and “Step Up” are among her other credits.
Aniston’s recent films include “Mother’s Day,” “Horrible Bosses 2,” and “Cake,” the latter of which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
“The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing. The way I am portrayed by the media is simply a reflection of how we see and portray women in general, measured against some warped standard of beauty,” Aniston wrote in a candid essay published by The Huffington Post last summer. On that note, we’re betting “Dumplin’” won’t depict an idealized version of beauty pageants.
