Jennifer Aniston just got a huge Oscar boost for her unrecognisable role in Cake

THEY say it’s her Monster. Everyone’s favourite Friend has dumped her good-girl image to go full-blown gritty. And Oscar voters are eating it up.

WHEN the Screen Actors Guild nominations were announced this morning, many Aussies would’ve been scratching their heads at Jennifer Aniston’s inclusion in the Best Actress race.

Her gritty, low-budget indie film, Cake, has attracted barely any press in Australia and doesn’t even have a release date here yet.

But it’s been hailed as a game-changer for the Friends star, and it’s easy to see why.

The usually toned and glamorous Aniston is unrecognisable in the role of a down-and-out chronic pain sufferer who begins a dubious relationship with the widower of a young suicide victim from her support group.

SURPRISE: Naomi Watts scores two Screen Actors Guild nominations

More recognisable ... Aniston said she wanted to disappear into the role.

No glamour ... Aniston wears fake scars and gained weight to play Claire.

Pundits are calling it Aniston’s answer to Monster — the 2002 film in which Hollywood starlet Charlize Theron shed her good looks to bait Oscar voters with an unforgettable performance.

As well as wearing fake scars, the 45-year-old Aniston abandoned her rigorous workout regimen before filming began.

“There’s a level of fearlessness. I think that you have to be able to sort of go, ‘F*** it, I’m ready to just disappear’,” she said a screening of the film last month.

“I basically just didn’t work out for two-and-a-half months. I stopped working out and I stopped being as careful about my diet as I normally am. I was still healthy, but I’d allow more.”

Oscar bound? The SAG nomination today firms up Aniston’s first shot at the Oscar.

The Screen Actors Guild awards are considered a reliable precursor to the industry’s most prestigious trophy — the Oscar — because many voters belong to both groups.

If her SAG nomination converts to an Academy Award nod, it will be her first Oscar nomination.

Funny origins ... Aniston, better known for her comedic work, can also be seen in Horrible Bosses 2 at the moment.

Originally published as Jennifer Aniston just got a huge Oscar boost for her unrecognisable role in Cake