Justin Theroux Recalls Jason Bateman's 'Sage' Advice When He Started Dating Jennifer Aniston

Justin Theroux recently recalled the advice he received from Jason Bateman when he first started dating Jennifer Aniston in 2011.

The 49-year-old actor appeared on "Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist" on Thursday to promote his upcoming Apple+ TV show "The Mosquito Coast," which will air on April 30, 2021. During the interview, he opened up about his ex-wife, Aniston.

Geist asked Theroux, "Was that a shock to your system though? Ten years ago when you started dating Jennifer and got married all that attention that you got?"

"Yeah, I think part of me was like, you know, I'm essentially sort of a character actor and a writer, there's not much there," Theroux replied. "Jason Bateman actually once gave me one of the most sage pieces of advice ever when all that was kind of going on."

"And 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," he continued. "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.'"

"And it was a good piece of advice because I stuck to it," Theroux added. "And that's the only way you can sort of keep sane and all that." Aniston and Theroux got engaged after dating for a year and married in August 2015. However, the marriage ended in early 2018.

Last week, Theroux revealed that he and Aniston, 52, still "remained friends."

"We don't talk every day, but we call each other," Theroux told Esquire. "We FaceTime. We text. Like it or not, we didn't have that dramatic split, and we love each other. I'm sincere when I say that I cherish our friendship."

"We can not be together and still bring each other joy and friendship. Also, she makes me laugh very, very hard," he explained. "She's a hilarious person. It would be a loss if we weren't in contact, for me personally. And I'd like to think the same for her."

Aniston will feature in the HBO Max Special, "The One Where They Got Back Together," which will mark the reunion of the popular sitcom, "Friends" cast members.