Did Jennifer Aniston Ever Date Aaron Eckhart? Inside The Romance Rumors

Jennifer Aniston has been slyly keeping details about her relationships under lock and key for years, which has only made fans even more eager to know who she's dating or who she has dated. After all, as a beautiful and talented actor, Aniston is a total catch. The rumor mill around her dating life is often in overdrive. Take the case of Aniston's alleged affair with former President Barack Obama. While her rep quickly shut down the bogus romance theory, it sure got our attention. 

Still, we'd like to get to the bottom of some other, less sensationalized romance rumors about "The Morning Show" star. In 2009, when Aniston starred alongside Aaron Eckhart in the film "Love Happens" (originally titled "Traveling"), speculation swirled that love happened between them on set. A source told the Daily Mail in February 2008: "They're getting along so great that everyone on the set is gossiping about something more going on between them. They're just so in sync all the time." Adding to the narrative, the insider claimed that Eckhart had specifically wanted Aniston for the role, which seemingly left Aniston blushing. "Jen's entire reason for doing this movie was Aaron," the source said, adding that she'd wanted to work with him and was flattered to be his first pick. 

The fact that Aniston and Eckhart were both single and pushing 40 while filming may have also made their connection feel more significant, which the source further alluded to while speaking with the outlet. "I think the fact that both of them have been single for a couple of months is contributing to the chemistry they have on this film, even when they aren't shooting," they said.

So, did Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart actually date? While it wouldn't be Aniston's first time dating a costar, an interview the pair did together suggests that one person was interested, but the other wasn't. During a 2009  sit-down interview with "Access Hollywood," interviewer Billy Bush noted how the media often tried to romantically link Aniston to her male costars. Nodding to Eckhart, Bush continued, "And yet, here's the most dashing and handsome of all perhaps, and I never heard that." 

Both Eckhart and Aniston corrected Bush, noting that they had become the subject of romantic speculation. And as Eckhart did this, he also intimately put his arm around the back of Aniston's chair. "The Dark Knight" star then claimed that he had attempted to woo Aniston but was shot down. "I tried, but she didn't ... my advances were rebuffed," he said. Appearing surprised by his statement, the "Friends" alum teased: "Those were advances? Aaron, I've got to teach you things." Meanwhile, Bush, who almost seemed like he was a wingman for Eckhart, reiterated how handsome the actor was. 

Eckhart did finally confirm that their relationship was strictly professional but made sure to note that "Jennifer wanted to keep it that way." Aniston insisted that she wasn't unaware of any advances, which could have been an honest answer or just a way to avoid the topic. Still, the number of times the "Love Happens" costars laughed and smiled at one another during the interview could suggest that they had come up with their own narrative to tell the media to perhaps throw the scent off their trail. "They had SO MUCH more chemistry in this 4 minute interview than in the whole movie," wrote one person in the YouTube comments.