Courteney Cox has opened up about aging, career insecurity and her changing attitude to cosmetic procedures.
The 57-year-old “Friends” star was speaking with the UK’s Sunday Times Style magazine, ahead of the launch of her new comedy horror TV show, “Shining Vale,” in which she plays a depressed erotic novelist who moves from New York City to rural Connecticut with family.
“It was exciting to play a character that was so flawed and real,” Cox said: “The fact that she’s going through this midlife crisis slash menopause.”
And it’s not just her character who’s wrestling with the aging process — Cox herself is facing up to the fact that she’s not far off 60.
“Oh God, it’s so hard to even hear or say. I can’t believe it. There’s nothing wrong with being 60, I just can’t believe it. Time goes so fast,” she said. “There’s no question that I am more grounded, I’ve learnt so much in my life — what to enjoy, what to try to do more of and what to let go of.”
Cox said she has given up on trying to look the same as she did before.
“There was a time when you go, ‘Oh, I’m changing. I’m looking older.’ And I tried to chase that [youthfulness] for years,” she said. “And I didn’t realize that, oh sh*t, I’m actually looking really strange with injections and doing stuff to my face that I would never do now.”
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Turning to media coverage of actors as they age, she said: “The scrutiny is intense, but I don’t know if it could be more intense than what I put on myself.”
When it comes to her career, Cox reveals some insecurities.
Despite her global superstar status, Cox said her confidence was dented a few years ago after filming a pilot for a series that failed to make it to production.
“It shook me for a little while. I mean for years in some weird way, like, I was scared to go back out,” she said.
Cox also shared how she deals with reviews.
“It’s best not to read them at all, but I do and sometimes I go straight for where my name is,” she said. “Let me skip all the ‘What do you think about the film?’ Just, what did you say about me?”
“Shining Vale” premieres on Starz on March 6.
