If we're being literal, the hills above western Los Angeles are actually the only place where Jennifer Aniston is the girl next door. That's what people called her for a long time. The girl next door, which is a '90s euphemism that means she's unintimidating, approachable. But here, along avenues of impermeable iron gates, among houses hidden behind hedges grown to make sure you know your place, the vibe is pretty intimidating.

To live here, one assumes, you have to have achieved a certain kind of Olympian status, like having been among the most beloved figures in American pop culture for 30 years.

This is what I'm thinking when the gates to her house swing open and I enter onto a pea stone car park. Pruned trees, gurgling fountains, 500-foot-tall front doors. Then suddenly, there's a lot of barking and Aniston's familiar voice, somewhere inside, reprimanding her dogs.

When she opens the door — ripped jeans, tank top, barefoot — Aniston looks like she could be the owner's out-of-town friend crashing here for a few days.

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