Aniston 's performance in Friends have been praised since her first appearance in its pilot . Entertainment Weekly 's Ken Tucker wrote that the actress provide Rachel with " prickly intelligence " . Writing for The Baltimore Sun , David Zurawik cited Aniston among the show 's " very strong cast " , while Variety 's Tony Scott wrote that " All six of the principals ... appear resourceful and display sharp sitcom skills " . Robert Bianco of the Pittsburgh Post @-@ Gazette praised the show 's female cast collectively . TV Guide wrote that the actress " instantly charmed audiences with her perfect looks and endearingly flawed persona " . Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast dubbed Aniston 's performance on Friends " the work of a brilliant character actress . " The Guardian 's Ryan Gilbey reviewed that " Aniston was the sparkiest member of the ensemble and the one least reliant on goofball caricature " , concluding , " Playing the only character with whom a sane viewer might reasonably identify also meant that she got the lion 's share of attention " . Andrew Collins of Radio Times described Aniston as a " natural comic performer , as adept with a subtle nose wrinkle as a full @-@ on pratfall , and fluent in quick @-@ fire patter " . In 2002 , Aniston won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series , one of the show 's six wins out of a total of 62 nominations . In 2003 , the actress won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical . Karen Thomas of USA Today dubbed Aniston " our favorite Friend " . According to Turner Classic Movies , Aniston ultimately became " One of the most popular television actresses of her era " . According to Jennifer Aniston : From Friends to Films author Kim Etingoff , the actress ' own fame " outshone " those of her co @-@ stars , becoming the first cast member to " rise to prominence " ; the actress continue to experience the most post @-@ Friends success . Aniston 's performance in Friends led to a successful film career . According to The Inquisitr News , Rachel is " the role that would end up launching [ Aniston 's ] success " , while Bradford Evans of Splitsider believe " that Jennifer Aniston likely wouldn 't have become a major movie star without Friends " . While ranking Aniston the most attractive sitcom star of the 1990s , Josh Robertson of Complex magazine wrote that " With the haircut , the TV fame , and a true gift for comedy ... combined , Aniston became a big star " , replacing Cox as the show 's " established hottie " . According to Steve Charnock of Yahoo ! Movies , Aniston is " the series ' only main castmember to become a bona fide movie star since the end of the show " . While agreeing that Aniston 's film career have been successful , several critics believe that the actress ' filmography remain limited to playing Rachel @-@ like roles in romantic comedies , save for some exceptions . Ryan Gilbey of The Guardian noted that " Consequently , many of Aniston 's movie roles ... have been Rachel in all but name . " Andrew Collins of Radio Times agreed , writing that Aniston " seem trapped , perpetually playing variations of Rachel " . According to TV Guide , Aniston is " usually called upon to play a variation of her neurotic and adorable Friends character " . Aniston cite Rachel as one of three roles for which she is most grateful , to whom she " owe [ s ] everything " . On being typecast , Aniston admit that at times it " give you more of a challenge , to shape people ’ s perceptions of you " . as audiences struggle " to lose the Rachel tag that have made her one of the world 's most recognisable faces " .