Jennifer Aniston is typically known for her tousled hair, bronzed limbs and megawatt smile.

Not any more.

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Jennifer Aniston in ‘Cake’.

The 45-year-old star, best known for her role as the stylish Rachel in hit sit-com Friends, has made a huge leap into the more serious side of Hollywood with a gritty new role.

In Cake, Aniston plays a car crash survivor suffering from chronic pain and attempting to navigate a slow recovery and a complicated relationship.

She is already generating major awards season buzz for the role, for which she skipped makeup and sported heavy facial scarring.

“With this performance, Jen just let herself go raw in every way, emotionally and physically,” the film’s director Daniel Barnz told People magazine.

“The first time we met, we talked about how this is a woman who actively doesn’t take care of herself, who doesn’t put on a stitch of makeup, who just completely lets herself go.

“Because if the actress tried anything – a dab of lipstick, a tiny bit of mascara – it wouldn’t be true to the character and the audience would cry foul.”

In one scene, Aniston can be seen sitting slumped over at the edge of a pool talking to another character played by Meryl Streep’s daughter, Mamie Gummer.

“You think I’m just this uncooperative old bitch,” Aniston says, downcast and a far cry from the bubbly Rachel Green.

You can see a clip from the film here.