Like her "Friends" character, Monica Geller Bing, Courteney Cox Arquette is type-A, but unlike Monica, she has the means to indulge in luxuries that help calm her restless soul -- like that glorious $10 million Malibu mansion and a speedy Mercedes-Benz CL600. But what she enjoys most are the things she can't put a price tag on, like the happy relationship she has with her husband, David.
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Courteney Cox Arquette enjoys nice things, but not the kind of nice things one would guess. She doesn't spend her money on couture clothes, decadent trips or costly baubles like so many other Hollywood actresses. Instead, she has poured the paychecks from her numerous films, including Ace Ventura, Pet Detective and three Screams, and her top-rated TV show, "Friends" (for those who don't read showbiz news, she gets $1 million an episode), into houses. One of the first she ever purchased--a vintage house in Bel-Air--is the very one I am sent to interview her in. It's lushly decorated with low-slung couches festooned with silk pillows In brilliant red, saffron and purple. Ornate hammered lanterns with a Moorish feel hang from the ceilings. Candles of every size line the tables. The place is full of whimsy that seems more David Arquette, her husband of almost three years, than Cox. Outside, the gardener tends a sprawling backyard appointed with flowing terraces, spectacular flowers, a swimming pool and a waterfall.
When Cox Arquette walks into the living room to greet me, she looks like a million bucks with no makeup, slicked-back hair and wearing a casual blouse and slacks. She radiates the glow of the well tended. We walk over to a large couch to settle in and when she sits, so do her two pets, a Burmese mountain dog and a cavalier King Charles spaniel.
STEPHEN REBELLO: Do you ever hang out by your beautiful pool and just take it in?
COURTENEY COX ARQUETTE: I'm not one to sit in the yard and look around. I need to get more like that.
Q: Your house is very beautiful.
A: It was built in the '50s by the architect John Byers. I doubled the size of it. The kitchen was more of a family kitchen, so I built it out. I also built a new master bedroom and another room above the garage that we turned into David's playpen. I've lived here for about seven years. I really love houses. In fact, this is my sixth house.
Q: Did you make a lot of changes to the interior?
A: It was a little too traditional for my taste. I tried to loosen it up. I worked with an architect named John Andrews and with a few great interior designers, too.
Q: Why so many designers?
A: I change my style a lot. Also, my lifestyle has changed quite a bit since I moved in. When I bought the house, I was broke. Then, as I would get more money, I would change. I got married and everything changed. Before David, I liked cleaner lines. All of a sudden, David comes in with his collection of extra large shoes, marionettes, puppets, lunch boxes and mailboxes--that changed everything.
Q: How did your tastes blend?
A: One of the good things about our relationship is we've been able to meld our personalities and tastes together. But at a certain point, I have to say, "David, step aside," because it is something I have extreme passion for.
Q: Does he think big like you?
A: If I said, "David, we're going to have to move into a very small closet, that's just the way it's going to be," he could make do in a closet.
Q: What was David's house like before he moved in with you?
A: It was really atrocious because he was a guy, a young guy. There were people on the couch that I'm not even sure he knew. Food. Stuff on the floor. He was such a pack rat.
Q: This house makes me think of the movie The Year of Living Dangerously. Were you inspired by any films while decorating? A: Elephant Walk with Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch. I love color--red, orange, purple.
Q: What else do you want to do with this house?
A: Nothing, because I've actually just sold it.
Q: How can that be? You seem so passionate about it.
A: I'm done. There's nothing else to do with it and I'm bored.
Q: Have you begun to hunt for another house to make over?
A: Yes.
Q: You also have a house in Malibu.
A: That's where I go on weekends. It was built by John Lautner. It's all wood, glass and concrete. It's a real luxury. I never would have been able to have something like that if I hadn't been on the show for so long. I'm very, very thankful to "Friends." [knocks on wood]
Q: It has been reported that the house cost $10 million. Did it make you feel uneasy to spend so much?
A: It was something I thought I couldn't or shouldn't afford. First it was couldn't and then it was shouldn't. I ran into Jeffrey Katzenberg at a restaurant and talked to him about the house because he has one nearby and knows a lot about beach properties. He told me I should call David Geffen because he really is the expert on beach houses. So, I called him. I didn't know him, but he took my call and I was very flattered. He just told me that there is only so much beach frontage, and that it was a great investment and I'd be crazy not to do it. He was right. Not that I would ever sell the house.
Q: Brad Pitt has great knowledge about houses and furniture.
A: We spend a lot of time talking about architecture. We've talked about getting a few couples together, buying a piece of property and building a vacation home on it. I could talk to him for hours about architecture. He not only gets it, he's brilliant about it. I aspire to have his taste. If you give me boundaries, like, "OK, this is what you have to work with, now make it great," I think I can make something great out of a box. But Brad goes beyond the box. He comes up with ideas I wouldn't even know how to go about. I definitely feel like I'm expanding myself, but Brad takes what I can do and completely surpasses me.
Q: I've heard you and David throw some great parties.
A: Oh, God, we have parties all the time. Every Wednesday and Sunday, our amazing chef Judy Culbertson comes over and we have what we call "Dinner Party Night." There are a couple of staple people, like my friend Jim Stein, who are always invited. But I love to have different people over all the time. It's just fun. I feel like I have a lot of different types of friends. I invite anywhere between six and eight people over every Wednesday, then Sundays at the beach is kind of a free-for-all where we have 10 to 15 people over. We have a karaoke room where we sing, and we play games like Taboo.
Q: Are you a better party-giver than party-goer?
A: I'm not comfortable leaving my house. If someone invites me over, I would go but it's not like I'm one to say, "Hey, let's hang out at your house tonight." I make it simple. There are a thousand sodas in the refrigerator as well as different kinds of beer and wine, food and chips.
Q: Do you do theme parties?
A: Sometimes I'll say, "Let's do Mexican," because there's almost nothing better. I've known Judy for over two years now. The best part is coming home and smelling this amazing food and asking, "Oh, wow, what is that?" I don't like venison or sushi--I don't want to eat what some people think are "luxurious" foods. Although I love eating at Nobu. That's a luxury.
Q: Are the Arquettes people you hang out with?
A: Oh, yeah. It's great. On Sundays, Patricia and Rosanna come over. Patricia lives up the street from us and Rosanna has a child named Zoe, and they come over on the weekends almost every week. The boys, Richmond and Alexis, I don't see as much, but we make a point of having family get-togethers. Everybody is really supportive of each other in that family. I'm very fortunate. I love every one of them. They're my family. [a male voice calls for the dogs]
Q: Who's that?
A: Now, that's a luxury--having a dog walker. It makes me happy knowing the dogs are happy. I took the dogs out for a walk this morning, then Hopper came to work with me all day and now they're both going out for their afternoon walk for a whole hour. The walker is so sweet. He lives up the street. I think he's someone's chauffeur.
Q: You're unusual because most actresses would name clothes and jewelry as their favorite luxuries, but you've named houses and a dog walker.
A: I have almost no clothes in my closet. I'm not a big clothes person. But I do love cashmere sweaters by Lucienne--I can't think of the full name. I have five of them. I also love Prada. For casual stuff, Juicy.
Q: What other things do you consider luxurious?
A: I love fresh orchids and candles, especially by Illume.
Q: Are you a soak-in-a-tub-with-scented-oils type?
A: [laughs] No. I don't remember the last time I took a bath. The thought of it may sound good but by the time the tub has run, I'm over it. I'm a shower person. We installed a big marble shower with two shower heads. I love taking a shower at the same time David does. We have more fun in the shower--and I don't mean sexually. I'm just saying that we play there. We'll sing and have fun.
Q: Is your bathroom and dressing room full of products?
A: Can I say I'm kind of a product whore? [laughs]
Q: You just did.
A: I go through them a lot. I'm always looking for the one thing that's going to make me look younger or keep me from looking older. There's this product I love, Fabulous Facial Wash and that is the best facial wash. I buy it at Barneys, and everybody should know about it.
Q: Because you're so famous, would you say privacy is one of your biggest luxuries?
A: There isn't anything I can't do. I love roller coasters, and it can be a little difficult sometimes to go to Magic Mountain, but not really. So, you say hi to people and stop to take pictures, but I don't mind. It's a small price to pay for so many wonderful things that we get from fame.
Q: What are some of the wonderful things you get from fame? Free jewelry?
A: I'm lucky, David buys me most of my jewelry. He is a good gift-giver--he has great taste, and he's imaginative. He buys most of the vintage stuff from Neil Lane. I'd never think about going out and buying myself a purse, but David will buy me one. He's very fashionable. You're smiling.
Q: Well, I've seen pictures of him dressed pretty eccentrically.
A: I know everyone knows of him as kind of a kooky dresser, but he has a great sense of style.
Q: You seem very happy with him.
A: He's just so sweet. He's a really good-hearted person.
Q: What is your ultimate fantasy luxury?
A: To fly privately, though it isn't something I get to partake in very often. I'm afraid to fly. I wasn't before, but now I am. I suppose that's wrong, but I can't help it. But to not have to go to the airport is really the ultimate luxury. I guess I could do it all the time, but then I'd be broke, [laughs]
Q: What do you think of as a necessity that other people might think of as a luxury?
A: It's a luxury, but it's also a necessity to have my hair cut by Chris McMillan, who also does our show. Getting your hair blown out before you have to go to some sort of an event is a necessary luxury to me. Doing my makeup isn't hard for me, but the hair is. Getting a facial is a necessity. I like to go once a week, but I usually wind up going once a month. That's just something, especially from wearing makeup on the show, that makes me feel clean. Another necessary luxury? My chiropractor Dr. Rochford on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. My neck goes out a lot, so I go to him once a week or every two weeks. That's where I hold my body tension.
Q: Do you get very tense?
A: I don't know if I have TMJ but I grind my teeth.
Q: Do you wear a mouth guard at night?
A: I have one, but I don't wear it. I forget where it is.
Q: Your luxuries seem somewhat practical. Aren't you into things like fancy cars?
A: [laughs] Yes! I love cars, especially cars that handle well, and I love driving fast. I have the best car in the world--a Mercedes CL600, which is the two-door. I thought of getting the 500 but my dad said, "If you're going to do it at all, get the 600." It's like being in a rocket. Oh, it's fantastic! That's a luxury that's crazy. I don't need a 600 in this town because you can't go that fast on the freeways anyway.
Q: You're a speed queen?
A: I'm heavy on the pedal, yeah. But I'm pretty smart. I have a strong sense of awareness.
Q: Where's your greatest luxury vacation spot?
A: Anguilla. I take a private plane and rent a house. I love the people there, and it's the most beautiful island. I stay about nine days. After a week I start thinking of home.
Q: Is it hard for you to relax?
A: It is. I can relax more when I'm not home, though. If I'm here, I think of a million things I should be doing. I'm pretty focused as I sit here with you, but there are a few things I could get up and start adjusting.
Q: Given all the great gifts you have--looks, a career, a relationship, houses, a fast car, a dog walker--have you formed a philosophy of why some people seem to have it all and others go lacking?
A: That's interesting. We always want things that we don't have, it seems. There are a lot of things I want to do with my career and I will do them. The most important thing is to know we're all on our own path. I'm very happy for people who are more successful because that's their path. I'm really blessed because I have a wonderful relationship. That's the way I'm really blessed most. Even if I didn't have this house or whatever, I know that David and I have fun together. As far as people who don't have as much as me, that's their path. It's important to not compare.
Q: Could you be happy in a closet, the way you said David could be?
A: If I'm not supposed to have any money in two years, I won't. If I'm supposed to have a fantastic career and be in every movie I've ever wanted, I will if it's meant to be. I believe in fate, and I believe in God's path.
Q: Surrounded by so much luxury, can simple things still send you soaring?
A: David has been out of town and the other day, my friend Jim called and asked, "Hey, can I take you out to dinner tonight?" and that just touched me so much, I don't know why. Little things like that. When people come over and bring a bottle of wine, I love that. People being thoughtful makes me happy.
Q: What's going to excite you in the future?
A: I have a lot of things that I want to accomplish, a lot of things that are yet to come out of me. Comedies are fun, but I'm ready to sink my teeth into a nice drama. I think I'm a good producer because I'm not lazy and I like things to move. I'm not there yet, but I'd like to direct. I want to say one last thing about luxury.
Q: What's that?
A: You've made me feel good today, so that was a nice luxury.
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