Jennifer Aniston "misses" working on 'Friends'.

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston

The 50-year-old actress credits her breakthrough role as Rachel Green on the sitcom for giving her confidence and she's feeling "super nostalgic" for the time she spent on the show - which ran from 1994 to 2004 - with her co-stars Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Matt Le Blanc because the work was "pure joy".

She said: "I started to find my confidence when I was on 'Friends', for sure.

"In a way, being on that show was the ultimate trust exercise. There was comfort in numbers there, so we all held each other up.

"I miss a lot about that time. Having a job that was absolute, pure joy. I miss getting to be with people I love massively and respect beyond words. So, yes, these days I'm super nostalgic. Anything can make me go, 'Aww.' "

Jennifer - who was previously married to Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux - thinks the 1990s were "simpler times" and she believes everyone felt "safer" back then.

She told InStyle magazine: "When I think back on the '90s, it makes me nostalgic -- period. They were simpler times.

"This is going to sound odd, but there was a sense of safety in the world.

"We weren't exposed to as much as we are now. And even if there was just as much s**t going on, we didn't necessarily have it in our faces 24/7. It was lighter. There was a lot more human connection."

These days, the 'Cake' star feels much more confident in herself and her capabilities.

She said: "I'm at a place now where I actually feel like I've grown up and entered into who I am creatively. It's taken me this long to know what I'm capable of. I didn't always know. I think I used to put a lot of that in the hands of other people. Now I'm taking ownership of it. And you know what? It feels really good".