When Courteney Cox and David Arquette signed on to Scream in the ‘90s, not only did they find themselves the stars of one of the best horror movies ever, but their lives were also changed after meeting one another. By the fourth Scream movie, the co-stars were a married couple with a daughter of their own. Although the couple have since divorced, they remain friends and co-parents, and Arquette recently opened up about what it was like being married to a main cast member of Friends.
During a conversation this week between David Arquette and Andy Cohen on SiriusXM, the radio host candidly asked the actor about if he ever felt “inferior” being the husband to the star of one of the most watched TV shows of all time. Here’s how he responded:
Yeah, absolutely. 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 are always going on this rollercoaster of popularity, and not able to get a job. And then when you're comparing yourself to someone who is at the top of the television iconic world it's kind of hard. So, there was definitely learning and dealing with that, and a lot of pain and arguments, ego early on.
Arquette owned up about dealing with his ego during his relationship with Courtney Cox, especially since the pair are both working actors who were riding the wave of Hollywood at different paces. Considering Cox played Monica Gellar on one of the most successful shows of all time, this "rollercoaster" the actor brought up makes sense. The actor also spoke about how he was able to work through his feelings on the subject as well. In his words:
A lot of it has to do with the way you’re taking things, the way you’re saying things, the way you’re responding to things, the way you’re allowing other sort of outside influences affect how you feel about yourself. I think building confidence and focusing on yourself. Working out some of the pain and trauma that I had so that I could open up and own what makes me happy, what my needs are, where my boundaries are.
Arquette also added that he and Cox had a “really great thing,” and he encouraged couples who are dealing with separations to talk through their differences rather than getting the lawyers involved right off the bat.
The couple met just ahead of filming the original Scream, and as he previously shared, director Wes Craven actually encouraged them to date. The pair got married in 1999, three years after the first Scream hit theaters, and had their daughter Coco in 2004. In 2012 it was reported that Cox had filed for divorce from Arquette after their separation was reported. Per a 2010 interview with Howard Stern (via People), before divorce papers were filed, Arquette said the relationship dissolved because Cox didn’t want to be his “mother” anymore. Arquette shared that he respected her decision and choice to go to therapy, and said he was “trying to grow up.”
Since the couple’s divorce, both Cox and Arquette have found new long-term partners. Arquette has been dating Entertainment Tonight correspondent Christina McLarty since 2011, and they have had two sons together and have been married since 2015. Cox has been with Snow Patrol band member Johnny McDaid since 2013.
When Scream returned for a fifth installment a few years ago Arquette happily worked with his ex-wife again, though his character of Dewey did not survive the 2022 movie. In the sixth Scream movie, which came out last month, Courteney Cox returned to her role once again alongside a stacked cast. You can check out the franchise starring both actors with a Paramount+ subscription, and to watch Cox as Monica Gellar, you can stream Friends with an HBO Max subscription.
