David Arquette Reveals He Felt Intimidated By Ex-Wife Courteney Cox's Fame And Success

In an interview, David Arquette revealed he felt inferior to his ex-wife Courteney Cox at the height of her fame due to her leading role in "Friends." 

The former lovers, Arquette and Cox, recently reunited on-screen for the fifth installment of the "Scream" franchise, and he described the experience as cathartic.

During a recent interview with Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM show, David Arquette admitted feeling inferior to his ex-wife Courteney Cox because of her immense success on the iconic TV show, "Friends."

Arquette, who was married to Cox from 1999 to 2012, confessed that he felt "absolutely" threatened by her level of fame and the fact that she was "someone who's at the top of the television, iconic world."

The "Screams" actor also shared that he struggled with traditional male gender roles. "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," he explained.

Arquette also shared that the difference in their success levels led to many "pain" and "arguments."

When asked how he and the "Friends" alum worked things out, Arquette revealed that working on oneself and effective communication were the keys to overcoming their hardships.

He emphasized the importance of self-reflection and being aware of one's responses to external influences, stating, "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 sorts of outside influences affect how you feel about yourself."

According to him, building confidence, focusing on himself, and setting clear boundaries were ways he dealt with "some of the pain and trauma."

Cox is widely recognized for her role as Monica Geller in the popular sitcom "Friends" from 1994 to 2004. On the set of the 1996 film "Scream", she met Arquette, and the two tied the knot three years later. In 2004, they welcomed their daughter, Coco Arquette, into the world.

Although Cox and Arquette ended their marriage in 2012, they maintain an amicable relationship and remain committed to co-parenting their daughter.

In an interview with People magazine during the finalization of their divorce, Cox referred to Arquette as her "favorite person in the world" and emphasized that "No matter what happens in our future, he's my very best friend." Arquette moved on and married Christina McLarty in 2015, while Cox is currently in a long-term relationship with Johnny McDaid.

In his interview, Arquette shared that his daughter with Cox, Coco Arquette, is doing well and has started learning to drive, even getting her first car. The father of three also opened up about his second marriage and expressed gratitude for his current wife, McLarty, crediting her as the "brains of the operation." He described his two sons as "complete characters."

Arquette also discussed the importance of figuring out how to make a marriage work and allowing each other to be themselves while maintaining firm boundaries. "It's tough. You have to figure out how to make it work with each other, to hear each other and allow each other to be yourselves, but also to have strong boundaries," he explained, per Daily Mail.

Arquette and Cox recently reunited on-screen for the fifth installment of the horror franchise, "Scream." The film, released in 2022, saw the duo reprise their roles as Dewey Riley and Gail Weathers, respectively.

In an interview with the New York Times, Arquette spoke about the experience of working with Cox again after more than ten years, describing it as a "cathartic" experience. "It's a cathartic experience just to act opposite Courteney. It's been 25 years of our lives. We've grown up together. We have a child together," he shared.