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Cruising Along 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. 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. |
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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. |
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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. Excerpted from "Cruising Along" Movieline, Dec/Jan 2002 |