Courteney Cox Stars in Cougar Town

ABC’s New Sitcom about Dating and Aging

Sep 17, 2009 Francine Brokaw

In the new sitcom Cougar Town, Courteney Cox plays Jules Cobb, a 40-ish woman enjoying the company of a younger man.

Courteney Cox spoke to the Television Critics Association about her new character and show. She is no longer the young ingénue, but looking at her it’s hard to think of her as getting older. This is a woman who keeps herself in tip top shape and takes great care of her body.

Women Dating Younger Men

There was a lot of joking around during the panel discussing the terminology about age and women. The term Cougar, when discussing a woman, apparently refers to someone in their 40s. “I guess pumas are in their 30s,” Cox quips. “Jaguars are in their 50s, and saber-tooths go right into the 60s.” There’s no doubt that Cox is back in her element in comedy.

“David is much younger than me,” Cox says of her husband David Arquette. “I think it's great to be a cougar if that's what they are called. I just don't know what the term is for a man who dates a younger woman.”

After spending ten years on the popular sitcom Friends, Cox’s most recent TV role was in the drama Dirt. But now she returns to the genre that brought her fame, and all those millions of dollars.

“I was looking to do a comedy,” Courteney admitted. “And I met with Bill (Lawrence, Executive Producer), and I definitely wanted to do another comedy for sure. I was really excited about it.”

Turning Forty was Depressing for Courteney Cox

Courteney Cox is well into her 40s, and related to the TV critics that turning forty was a big deal for her. “When I turned 40,” she said, “I was laying in bed with [my newborn daughter] Coco. I just had her two days before … I was really depressed. Now I have to actually take care of (a baby). Being 40 I think is hard for women,” she confided with heartfelt sincerity.

“What went through my head is it's always hard. I mean, getting older is harder anyway, but living in Hollywood's exceptionally hard doing it. But what I love about this character is everything's real. It would be really scary if I wasn't married and I had to go back out there again. And it is true most men date women that are younger.”

The inevitable question came up about Cox’s good friend Jennifer Aniston. Will Aniston be making an appearance in Cougar Town? After all, she did appear on Cox’s last TV show Dirt.

“You know, she's a good friend and I know she loves the show. I'm not going to say she is because I don't know.”

Courteney Cox is also the Executive Producer of Cougar Town, which premiers Wednesday, September 23, 2009 on ABC.

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Courteney Cox