Exclusive must-watch: Jennifer Aniston smokes 'grass' in 'Life of Crime'

This is definitely not something you see every day: Jennifer Aniston smoking "grass" on film.

Yes, she inhales.

Then the yoga-loving, water-endorsing star coughs.

It's all part of a deleted scene with John Hawkes in the drama Life of Crime, shown exclusively here. Aniston plays a kidnapped woman whose (expletive) husband refuses to pay her ransom.



"Is that, um, grass?" Aniston asks in the scene, before gingerly taking the cigarette. "I've never actually smoked it before."

Director Daniel Schechter, who pulled together a killer cast with Aniston, Hawkes, Isla Fisher, Tim Robbins and Mos Def for the Elmore Leonard novel adaptation, says he used to love this scene when cutting the indie film.
"It was usually one of the top three scenes I'd show friends who would visit while I was editing because I was very proud of it. I was always surprised, but Jen's line about, 'Is that-- grass?' always got a little laugh from basically anybody who watched it. I think people seemed quite endeared by her character's novice status as a pot smoker."
It deserves multiple viewing. From the stuttering ask, the ginger hold and then the cough. All followed by a self-deprecating joke.

Aniston loved the scene and wanted to keep it in the movie.
"I made the mistake of showing Jen this scene AFTER I decided it was cut out of the movie. I showed it to her, because I wanted her to see how incredible she was in it, but I guess that was sort of the problem -- she didn't want it cut really after she saw it. Still, it was my choice and she didn't want to interfere at all. I loved this scene and it was by far the hardest to let go."
It was cut for pacing reasons. Schechter points out that at least people can see the scene and more on the Blu-Ray/DVD release Oct. 28.

As for the million dollar question -- what was in the cigarette on set?

"No idea," says Schechter. "But it was not weed."