|
By Christina Radish
|
|
|
Courteney Cox at the Fox All-Star party held at the Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel Horseshoe Gardens in Pasadena, Calif. on July 25, 2006. | On the new FX series Dirt, Courteney Cox plays Lucy Spiller, editor-in-chief of a glossy celebrity tabloid that chronicles the rise and fall of Hollywood stars. Powerful, intelligent and ruthless, Lucy’s life is her work. When it comes to uncovering the truth behind the celebrity faces, Lucy knows no limits.
Having become a household name with the success of the mega hit television show Friends, Cox knows what it’s like to be under the watchful eye of the paparazzi. Relentlessly pursued during her pregnancy, and even now when she plays with her daughter, Coco, on the beach near her home in Malibu, it’s those experiences that helped her understand her latest role.
Taking time out to talk to MediaBlvd Magazine, Cox admits that she likes to thumb through the gossip magazines, on occasion, even if it’s just to look at the pictures.
MediaBlvd Magazine> Can you talk about the challenge of creating Lucy? Do you want to keep her as hard and mean as possible, or do you want some niceness to slip in?
Courteney Cox> Personally, I love when she is ruthless in her job, but she has this warmth with her brother. To me, you can't go too far with her doing her job, and doing whatever it takes to do it.
MediaBlvd> Are you still finding this character, or do you feel like you know what she’s all about now?
Courteney> During the pilot, I was really trying to find her, but since then, I feel like I’ve found her. When I go to work, I get her now. All of a sudden, I just had the best time. It just clicked.
MediaBlvd> Are you able to relate to Lucy?
Courteney> I love Lucy. Even though she does despicable things, I love the fact that she enjoys it so much. She loves her magazine and she has such a good time doing it that I related to that because I love acting and I love producing. I can relate to her ambition. And, I’m definitely a type-A personality, too.
MediaBlvd> Are you as competitive as she is?
Courteney> I’m driven. I don’t think I’m as competitive as she is, but when I believe in something, I really go for it. She doesn’t always believe in the things that I admire, but she has fun. She likes what she does, and I do too.
MediaBlvd> Was part of your motivation in doing this the fact that it was so far removed from Friends?
Courteney> The motivation for this was that I was going to produce the show. I knew FX wanted to have a female protagonist, and then Matthew Carnahan created this character. When I read the script, I said, “Okay, I have to be in the show.” I wouldn't have done anything that was like Monica just because I did that for 10 years, and I'm older now. This just seemed like the perfect fit.
MediaBlvd> In researching this character what did you find out about the type of personality that feasts on a diet of gossip, 24/7?
Courteney> They are type-A personality people, who want to succeed. My character, for instance, is obsessed with making sure she tells the truth and exposes it. It’s more important to her than being able to keep a secret. I think these people are living in a world that's competitive, and they want do their best job they can. And, as you see on the show, there are a lot of consequences for that. Lucy is not exactly happy.
MediaBlvd> What is the most preposterous story you ever read about yourself in one of the tabloids?
Courteney> There was a period there, when I was on Friends, that I was really thin, and I thought I looked great. In retrospect, I did not look so good. But, I did not have anorexia. They kept writing about it, which was tough. All the Friends were taken down, at some point, about being too thin. We all change, at different parts of our lives. Sometimes, we’re stressed out and we get thin. Sometimes, we don’t know that we’re thin and we think we look great. But, there is so much emphasis on it. It’s such a personal journey that people go through, with their weight. I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it. It’s hard on teenagers, when they look at people when they’re really thin, but you can’t be responsible for everybody. I’ve lost weight since I’ve started this show because I’ve been working out, I do love scenes, and I’ve got a lot of pressure right now.
MediaBlvd> Every actor and actress, starting out in Hollywood, aspires to be a star. And then, you get to that moment where it becomes a nuisance because of what you have to put up with. Did you have a moment when you said, “Oh, my God, I got to where I wanted to get, but now I have to live with this”?
Courteney> I know that you have to take the good with the bad, in this business. Most of the time, I don't mind having my picture taken. I was really upset when I was being chased and surrounded, while I was pregnant with Coco. That, to me, was too far. My motherly instincts, or maybe my hormones, just grabbed ahold, and I went into fight or flight mode, just trying to get away, as opposed to breathing through it. I would never change anything in the world because I love what I do, but it’s hard when I’m trying to hang out with Coco on the beach and just play with her in the sand, and there are so much paparazzi hiding out under stairs, when trying to share a special private moment with your kid.
MediaBlvd> Isn’t there also an upside to people getting a little exposure in these magazines?
Courteney> If you’re not written about in the magazines at all, it probably means that you’re not hot right now. But, because the competition is so great, it becomes a little dangerous and it’s a frenzy. That’s the part that’s harder. I remember when I used to go out with this guy, who was the most famous person at the time -- he had the biggest movie out -- and it just wasn’t like that back then. Things have changed so much.
|
|
|
Courteney Cox & David Arquette at the Fox All-Star party held at the Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel Horseshoe Gardens in Pasadena, Calif. on July 25, 2006. | MediaBlvd> Have you had interactions with the paparazzi that have made you realize that they’re just human?
Courteney> They’re just doing what they consider their job. I went someplace the other day and, when I left, I thought, “God, that guy looks so familiar.” He said, “Courteney, let me have a picture,” and I was like, “Not right now.” I had just come out of a spa, after getting a massage. He said, “I painted your house,” and I was like, “Oh, my God, you’re right. Why are you doing this?” He said, “It’s my art,” and I said, “But, you were painting.” The competition is just so great now, and there’s so many magazines, that I know that that’s what they’re doing for a living and they’re paying their bills. What they do to get their pictures is sometimes a little too much.
MediaBlvd> Where in the world is the paparazzi the worst?
Courteney> I would say England is really bad. London is the most intense. And, now, here in Malibu. Malibu is not what it was.
MediaBlvd> Do you read any of those magazines, like In-Touch, US Weekly or the Star, every now and then?
Courteney> I look at those magazines mostly at airports. And, I don't read them, I usually just look at the pictures because I love to look at pictures. I love to see what people are wearing. But, they are in the writers' room for research. They are fun. I don't believe everything that's written just because it's not all true. It's hard not to want to look at the pictures.
MediaBlvd> What has been the reaction of your friends, in regard to the subject matter of the show?
Courteney> They just want us to keep going, the meaner the better. Jennifer Aniston loves the show. All my friends that are in this business think it's fantastic and they love it, and they’re addicted. They can't wait to watch it every week.
MediaBlvd> Do any of you see the cult of celebrity waning anytime soon?
Courteney> I think it will always be there. Kids will always see somebody and go, "Oh, I want to look like her and dress like her." I think we all have people that we look up to, whether it makes sense or not.
MediaBlvd> Are you working out more because you’re having to take off your clothes?
Courteney> Oh, yeah, absolutely. I do cardio, and I’ve never done it before, in my life. I’m doing the elliptical machine. I have one at home, and I have one in my office on the set.
MediaBlvd> What have you learned about yourself from doing this show?
Courteney> I’ve learned that I’m not a girl anymore, I’m a woman. I was really nervous, at first, about exposing myself, in any way. Even though it seems like I’m exposing a lot, I’m not really because you can’t really show things. But, I decided, “I’m not going to get a body double. I’m going to be who I am.” That was a big change for me.
MediaBlvd> Dirt had the second highest ratings premiere of any series on FX. What was your reaction to the ratings success?
Courteney> I wasn't going to go to work the day the ratings came in. I was planning on calling and saying, "Let's do a little rearranging,” if the ratings didn't come in so well. I said to the whole crew, "Hey, guys, tomorrow is the big day. I'm either going to need the most amount of hugs ever, or I’m just not coming to work that day.” But, the ratings were great, and that made us a lot happier.
MediaBlvd> Do you bring your daughter to the set?
Courteney> She comes all the time. She even goes to school at Paramount sometimes. It’s really important that she’s there. That’s been helpful.
MediaBlvd> You and David Arquette have been married for close to eight years. What’s the secret to a good relationship?
Courteney> As you grow, continue to talk things out because it’s easy to grow apart. People change, and if you don’t discuss your changes and make sure that everybody’s in sync, then it can be difficult. I think that’s the key.
MediaBlvd> Do you and David look for opportunities to work together, or do you prefer to work separately?
Courteney> We don't look for things to work together on, no. We did it with Scream, three times. We also produced another movie together. I think we hang out enough. After you've been married for a long time, it’s important to have time apart. Before we were married, we did four projects together, and that was perfect, but not anymore.
MediaBlvd> What are the chances of a Friends reunion ever happening?
Courteney> There will be no Friends reunion. It’s too hard to get everyone together. The writers are all doing their thing. Not that I wouldn’t do it, ‘cause it would be fun and I’d love to work with everybody again, for kicks, but I don’t see it happening. |
