Jennifer Aniston Thanks Mikael Hafstrom for Derailed Role  11/9/05

Jennifer Aniston has thanked movie-maker Mikael Hafstrom for taking a risk and casting her in new thriller Derailed.

The actress feared she would be typecast after 10 years in hit comedy series Friends, and was thrilled when Hafstrom considered her for the raunchy role.

Derailed sees Aniston's character have a torrid affair with a married executive, played by British actor Clive Owen.

She says, "Thank God for directors like Mikael Hafstrom - it was interesting for him to take a certain persona and put it in this part.

"That doesn't always happen. So I really appreciated that."