Entertainment Movies Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock Recall Both Dating Tate Donovan: 'He Seems to Have a Type' Tate Donovan spent the entire '90s dating either Sandra Bullock or Jennifer Aniston By Ale Russian Ale Russian Ale Russian is a contributing writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Her work has appeared in Women's World, First For Women, Biography.com and the Chicago Sun-Times. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 11, 2020 04:01PM EST It took a mutual ex-boyfriend for Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock to finally meet. The longtime pals chat about their lives in Interview magazine’s new cover story, in which they try to remember their first encounter. “You and I had completely different memories,” Bullock, 55, said. “Let’s journey back. I’m trying to remember the year of the Golden Globes, at that little restaurant…,” Aniston, 51, said. “Yes, and we were introduced by our former boyfriend. I say ‘our’ because you and I both partook of this one human being,” Bullock joked. “Yes, we did. That’s a beautiful way of saying it,” Aniston said. The actresses are talking about actor Tate Donovan, 56, who they both dated in the ’90s. Bullock and Donovan dated from 1990 to 1994, while Donovan and Aniston were linked between 1995 and 1998. Jennifer Aniston, Tate Donovan, Sandra Bullock. The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty (2) “[He] was a very patient human being, given that he dated us both,” Bullock added. “He seems to have a type,” Aniston said, with Bullock describing: “Talented. Funny. Kind. Introspective. Generous.” “Lovers of architecture, lovers of interior design,” Aniston continued. While Donovan and Aniston dated, he also appeared on Friends as Rachel’s boyfriend for five episodes, though his character was later written off after they split in real life. Jennifer Aniston for Interview magazine. Photographed by Alique, @alique_studio Jennifer Aniston References Iconic Friends Joke as She Welcomes Matthew Perry to Instagram In the interview, Bullock also described her first impression of Aniston and how it compared with the Friends character everyone had come to know and love. When Bullock asked what keeps Aniston so joyful and buoyant, the actress explained how she wanted her adult life to be radically different from her childhood. “I think that it comes from growing up in a household that was destabilized and felt unsafe, watching adults being unkind to each other, and witnessing certain things about human behavior that made me think: ‘I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to be that. I don’t want to experience this feeling I’m having in my body right now. I don’t want anyone else that I ever come in contact with ever to feel that.’ So I guess I have my parents to thank,” Aniston explained.