As the documentary title goes, you cannot kill David Arquette. But you can make him feel awfully small if you’re his wife and consistently get more jobs and higher paychecks than him. David Arquette recently opened up about his struggles coping with Courteney Cox’s fame, saying machismo and ego could get in the way.
Speaking with Andy Cohen on his titular show (via People), David Arquette explained that being married to Courteney Cox had its hang-ups, many relating to her success. “It’s difficult…I have some of the traditional male things where I want to like, you know, provide and pick up the check and, you know, be the breadwinner…In the acting world, in general, you’re always going on this roller coaster of popularity and not able to get a job…So it’s like this weird thing. And then, when you’re comparing yourself to someone who’s at the top of the television iconic world, it’s kind of hard to put yourself there.”
That iconic world Arquette speaks of is, of course, Friends. When David Arquette and Courteney Cox married in 1999, Cox was in the middle of the 10-season Friends run. Arquette, meanwhile, was playing supporter to Drew Barrymore, offering cameos in Muppet movies and doing one-offs on The Hughleys. But we’re not actually belittling Arquette, who this writer is a fan of (he steals his scenes in the terrific Beautiful Girls) and respects. Around this time, he started acting on his love for the world of professional wrestling–and how many stars actually make the effort to explore a passion outside of Hollywood? Cox may have been on one of the most successful TV shows ever, but let me ask you this: was she ever the WCW heavyweight champion?!
As it stands, David Arquette and Courteney Cox remain friends even a decade after their divorce, with the former saying, “We’ve just been really open and supportive of each other…So it’s made for a friendship and relationship that is out of respect.” They’ve even been co-stars, last appearing together in 2022’s Scream. They would not team up again for Scream VI…although Arquette has maintained a presence in the horror world, voicing a character in the video game The Quarry.
What is your favorite David Arquette movie and performance? Let us know below!