Courtney Cox says ‘Shining Vale’ touches on her love for fear, laughter

Sundays for Courtney Cox have always been about the 3 F’s — food, family and, 5 o’clock sharp.

As a kid growing up in Alabama, her presence was required at her grandmother’s Sunday supper table. Forget the friends. “I have 21 first cousins. That table was always full for Sunday supper,” recalled the iconic “Friends” alum best known for playing Monica Geller.

When her mother, also named Courtney, passed away in 2020, the Southern California dweller decided to expand her Sunday rituals and re-create all of her family’s favorite dishes, plus a few of her own. There were also a few updates to the weekly gathering. “Five o’clock. Sunday dinner is on at my house. I invite all of my friends. Just show up and find your place at the table,” said Cox, mom of 17-year-old Coco and girlfriend since 2013 of musician Johnny McDaid. They’re at the table along with friends Jen Aniston and Lisa Kudrow, who show up from time to time.

“Each Sunday is precious to me because all of us know that you can’t take anything for granted in this world,” said Cox, who likes to whip up halibut and tomatoes or her trademark lemon pasta from scratch.

There is plenty of time for work, and Cox has had a steady diet of that this past year, too. She starred in the box office hit “Scream” and has a new TV show premiering March 6 on Starz, a horror-comedy called “Shining Vale” with Greg Kinnear. The plot revolves around a dysfunctional family that moves to a small town after Pat (Cox) has an affair. The new house has a few issues, including the fact that it’s tainted with the terrible atrocities that have taken place there in the past.

Review-Journal:Why were you were drawn to “Shining Vale”?

Courtney Cox: Well, for many reasons, starting with (producers) Sharon Horgan and Jeff Astrof. They’re just such talented people. And then there is this thing that I love to be scared, and I love to laugh. To me, the show was such a unique combination of these two things. It’s also a genre you rarely see … the horror comedy. And it deals with real-life issues including family, infidelity and mental illness. That made it so rich and funny.

How do you go about creating Pat, a novelist who has been caught cheating on her husband? How do you make sure she’s a new character that’s fresh?

For me, it begins with a character like in “Vale” who is so real and grounded. I did “Cougar Town,” which was also a comedy, but it wasn’t taken seriously. It was really broad. And then there was “Dirt,” which I think was a little before its time. It could have been a really salacious, fun, exciting show. I think it got a little too heady. With this character in “Vale,” it just fits. It fits into the “Let’s face it, I’m in my 50s, and I’m going through stuff that maybe’s not that deep, but maybe it is deep.”

What trait of yours do you want audiences to see now?

I want to be raw and vulnerable, which I am on this new show. I think I’ve worked harder on this than I have anything else because I’m obsessed with it and find it unique in every way.

You drop a lot of F bombs on the show. Was that freeing?

There are so many Fs in there! I was wondering about that. I love that you noticed. I say it a lot — it’s an adjective, it’s a noun, it’s everything.

What are your memories of doing the “Friends” reunion last year?

There we were back on Stage 5. That’s where the attic is in the show. I remember being on that stage again and thinking that the dressing rooms were really small. I don’t think we even spent time in them. There was also one bathroom that we all had to share, including the crew. But, all of a sudden, we were all there, working. And it was wonderful.

Have you screened “Vale” for any of the “Friends?” Who is the most afraid?

I showed Lisa and Jennifer, and they were so scared. Lisa has never even seen any of the “Scream” movies. She’s petrified of everything. Remember in the reunion that she was scared of a spider? That was one of the best laughs in the whole show.

Your daughter is 17, headed for college next year. What lesson do you want her to take out into the world?

It did go by so fast and now she’s a wonderful 17. We have a very close bond and we communicate, which is key. As for the rest, I just want her to bring kindness to the world and for the world to send some of that kindness her way. My mother would tell me that the crucial thing in life is to be kind.

Your new show talks about things that go bump in the night. Ever have a ghostly experience?

Okay, I’ll tell you one. I used to live in a house on top of Lookout Mountain in Laurel Canyon. It was a Tudor house. Very, very old. In fact, Gypsy Rose Lee used to live in it. I wouldn’t know a ghost if literally one was sitting on my lap. I’m just not that kind of person. But there I was one day with my acting teacher. She passed away, but when she was alive and we were working in the house she’d say, “It’s weird. I have a feeling in this house. I keep feeling drafts.” I’m like, “Oh, okay. I haven’t noticed anything.” And then I had another friend come over and she had a dream where she saw this woman in a white dress was in my house and she came and sat down on the bed next to me. I thought, “Oh, okay … I still didn’t believe it.

And then … we hate to ask?

And then one day, the doorbell rings, and it’s the FedEX guy. He goes, “Are you aware that there are spirits in this house?” And I go, “No, why are you saying that?” And he said, “Because they’re standing right behind you.” I was like, “Oh (expletive)!” And then I moved!