Leno: All right. Our first guest stars on the very popular TV show, FRIENDS, which can be seen Thursday nights at 8 o’ clock, right here on NBC. She’s starring in a movie, a new movie, 3000 Miles to Graceland. It opens this Friday. I didn’t want to be - y’know - she put on a little weight there on the show. Show that footage of her dancing around the dressing room. [Transcriber’s note: It’s not a dressing room!!]

(They show the clip of Fat Monica dancing with a donut in her hand and the audience is clapping...you know the one.)

Leno: Yeah. Yeah. I like a woman who’s not afraid to be herself. Courteney Cox, ladies and gentlemen!

(Courteney comes out, the audience cheers, and the band plays “I’ll Be There For You”. She hugs Jay and kisses him.)

Leno: You look great!

(They both sit down.)

Leno: Well, did you have fun being fat? Was it fun?

Courteney: Um, well, you know what, it’s not that fun.

Leno: I enjoy it.

Courteney: I like, well.... (laughs) You’re not fat!

Leno: Well, I’m a little chubby.

Courteney: Let me tell ya, putting on, putting on that stuff, it, it’s really hot.

Leno: Yeah.

Courteney: That’s the problem. It’s like, um, it’s like a lot of applying stuff to your face. Butt, uh, the rest of it, it’s really great cause there’s some part of it that makes you uninhibited. And they did ask me. They said “we want you to just dance.”

Leno: Well, let’s see it again. Let’s see you dance again.

(They roll the clip again.)

Leno: Yeah. I mean, I love the face. That’s just... Do you -

Courteney: I, I dance better as Fat Monica than I do as myself.

Leno: Yeah?

Courteney: Yeah.

Leno: Do you wish you could just eat whatever you wanted, just like that? Because you always looks so slim and trim. You don’t personally, just eat?

Courteney: I love food. I do.

Leno: Yeah?

Courteney: I have a, I have a really high, um, pretty high anxiety, so I do burn calories.

Leno: Yeah. Oh, so you can eat whatever you want.

Courteney: I can’t eat whatever I want, but I just kinda know what to eat. I do like food - it’s really important.

Leno: Yeah.

Courteney: It is. I love food and I like to eat.

Leno: Yeah.

Courteney: But I, I do believe in that protein thing where you eat more proteins than carbohydrates.

Leno: Yeah. Ok, I need you to clear something up. First I hear it’s Courteney Cox.

Courteney: Yeah.

Leno: And then I hear it’s, y’know, Courteney Cox Arquette.

Courteney: Ok.

Leno: Which one is the correct one?

Courteney: I am Courteney Cox Arquette.

Leno: That’s right. I know that.

Courteney: Ok, but I don’t know, it just seems as I get older, I want to be Courteney Cox because when I was younger, I always wanted to change my name.

Leno: Yeah.

Courteney: You can imagine the stories. Courteney -

Leno: Cox.

Courteney: Cox -

(The audience laughs.)

Leno: Yeah, yeah.

Courteney: “How do you spell that?” Things like that.

Leno: Right.

Courteney: Um, so, yeah, um.

(They both laugh.)

Leno: They’re always so subtle.

Courteney: They’re so subtle, really. Yeah. And I, when I was younger, I couldn’t wait to change it, I wanted to get married. But then once I did, as I get older, I just want to keep my family’s name. Like there are a million Arquettes, so like -

Leno: Yeah, there are a lot of Arquettes.

Courteney: There are a lot of Arquettes.

Leno: But there’s not that many -

Courteney: coxes.

Leno: Right. Right.

(The audience laughs.)

Leno: When you find one you like, you wanna keep it.

Courteney: Oh. Oh God...

Leno: But let me ask you. So how long have you been married now? Do you still like being married? Are you happy? I’ve had this con - I had an argument last night with someone on the show who was totally against my opinion. Are you enjoying it? Do you like it?

Courteney: Yes, I like it.

Leno: Yes, see, I like it. I like it. I’ve been married for 20 years. It’s fine. How long have you been -

Courteney: You’ve been married for 20 years?!

Leno: Yeah, yeah, yeah. How long have you been married?

Courteney: Um, it’ll be 2 years in June.

Leno: Is it two? I’ve been thinking it was just one, but I guess that’s right.

Courteney: Nah, it’s almost two.

Leno: Well, I was reading this thing about you in Jane magazine (picks it up)

Courteney: Ok.

Leno: ...because I enjoy magazines about women’s hairstyles and uh, there’s a whole thing on you. It’s a picture of your first car. Look at you... Uh, show that picture up there. (close up on the picture) Is that a Datsun?

Courteney: That’s a Datsun 210.

Leno: Datsun 210. That’s really cool.

Courteney: Yeah. A 210 isn’t really big. I love that. You know that.

Leno: What age were you when you learned to drive?

Courteney: Um, I learned to drive early because of my dad. Driving was a big part of my life. I learned probably like at ten.

Leno: At ten?

Courteney: Yeah, I was driving a car at ten.

Leno: Is that the way it is in Alabama?

Courteney: I had my first accident, like at 14.

Leno: Ok, in Alabama, you get your permit at 9 1/2. Yeah. But how could you drive at 11?

Courteney: Because my dad was really, that was something he could really teach the kids. And he wasn’t into going to the dance studio, y’know -

Leno: Yeah.

Courteney: Or the ballet, so he taught us how to drive. That’s what we’d do at a very young age.

Leno: So did anything happen? You had this all through your teenage years, this car...

Courteney: Um, well, that was my first car. It was the first one I bought because my Dad was a, is a salesman. It was one of his salesman cars.

Leno: Oh, ok.

Courteney: It had 127,000 miles on it.

Leno: Yeah.

Courteney: It was my first - but I was very proud of it though.

Leno: Did you make out in? Did you make out in it?

Courteney: Oh, I’ve made out in it a few times before.

Leno: Oh yeah? Does it have the seat that goes back?

Courteney: Far enough!

(The audience laughs.)

Leno: Far enough. We’re gonna find out a little more about this after this.

Courteney: Ok.

Leno: Ok, we’re going to take a break. More with Courteney Cox after this.

(Courteney points to the magazine and says something I can’t hear because the audience is clapping and the VCR sucks.)

Leno: I love that dress...

Leno: Welcome back. We’re talking with Courteney Cox, who stars in 3000 Miles to Graceland. Y’know, I haven’t seen the movie, but I’ve seen the previews. It looks kinda cool. What, what is it about?

Courteney: Um, it’s about these guys who dress up as Elvis and they go in and rob a casino. My husband was one of the Elvises, David Arquette. And then it, it’s about where, what happens to the money. And uh, I meet up with Kurt Russell and, uh, you just kinda track the money to see who has it at the end.

Leno: Now, have you ever stolen anything?

Courteney: Um, yeah.

Leno: No, I mean, as a kid, did ya -

Courteney: Um, I have, I -

Leno: You have?

Courteney: Yeah, yeah. No, I’m gonna tell ya.

Leno: Oh, oh, ok.

Courteney: Oh, yeah. I did.

Leno: What did you steal?

Courteney: Well, uh, there was this, there was this little drug store - if it’s still there, I apologize - um, called Smith’s.

Leno: This is where, in Birmingham?

Courteney: Yes, in Birmingham, Alabama, where I’m from. And I stole a bunch of candy. And y’know, I went down on my bike and I stole a bunch of candy. And, like, I think I stole lighters too and I don’t think I was smoking back then. But remember I stole a bunch of lighters, a bunch of candy and stuff and I went home and I got in my closet. I was counting my loot, y’know? And my mom came in and I got busted.

Leno: Ooh, did you have to go back to the store and return everything and say “it was me”?

Courteney: Yeah. Yeah. I think she pushed me on my bike, quickly.

Leno: Yeah. And she had to go with you?

Courteney: No, I had to do it on my own.

Leno: And, and you returned it? You didn’t eat any of it?

Courteney: Oh, I probably didn’t return all of it. But I gave some away.

Leno: Oh! Oh!

(The audience laughs.)

Courteney: Oh, well...

Leno: Do, do you go crazy in Vegas? Do you gamble a lot? I mean, you’re there filming. Do you go nuts?

Courteney: I, I’m not a big gambler. It, it makes me so uncomfortable to lose. And first of all, every time I go down there, I lose within the first 20 minutes. I lose everything I plan on losing.

Leno: Umm-hmm. Ok.

Courteney: So it’s not fun for me at all. David loves it.

Leno: Oh!

Courteney: Yeah.

Leno: Yeah.

Courteney: Y’know, I know you were going to say that.

Leno: No, I y’know... Losing a thousand dollars doesn’t make you feel as bad as winning a hundred dollars makes you feel good. I mean -

Courteney: It’s so frustrating! I mean, why do I even do it?!

Leno: Yeah, I mean, cause I can’t count. I’m playing Twenty One and the guy goes “you got 38.” And I go “Yeah, ok. I guess I’m out.”

(The audience laughs.)

Leno: Yeah. I’m dyslexic. I get the cards all mixed up.

Courteney: Oh.

Leno: Is that a queen, is that an eight, is that a nine...? Y’know, there’s, there’s some gossip, on, uh, on, uh, some of the guys. Who are the guys?

Courteney: Kurt Russell.

Leno: Ooh.

Courteney: Kevin Costner.

Leno: Ooh.

Courteney: Christian Slater.

Leno: Ooh, those are all handsome guys.

Courteney: David Arquette, Bokeem Woodbine, uh, Ice T, Howie Long... There’s a lot of guys and me.

Leno: Wow.

Courteney: There’s a lot of guys.

Leno: So which, put your husband out of the equation.

Courteney: Ok.

Leno: Which would be the cutest of all the guys?

Courteney: I really loved Kurt because, uh, Kurt reminds me of my family.

Leno: Yeah.

Courteney: Um, he is the most blunt, honest person -

Leno: Ok.

Courteney: I mean, he is so honest! He’s really, he’s really opinionated, in a good way.

Leno: Right.

Courteney: He sticks with his opinions and that’s the way it is... Uh, ok...

Leno: You really like that kind of guy.

Courteney: I really like that kind of guy because to me, that just makes for an interesting person.

Leno: Yeah.

Courteney: I got along with him well. He reminds me so much of my brother. He just reminds me of my brother.

Leno: Oh, Kurt would be it. Ok.

Courteney: Definitely. He’s really fun and a great guy.

Leno: Uh huh.

Courteney: And Kevin’s really sweet. He’s, uh, nurturing.

Leno: Nurturing?

Courteney: Yeah! He’s the kind of guy that can tell you about his kids.

Leno: Men never talk to men mention girls. “I was nurturing.” The guys never say that.

(The audience laughs)

Courteney: Oh, let me tell you something. That nurturing stuff works.

Leno: Oh, it works? We’re going to see a clip. What are we going to see in this scene?

Courteney: Ok, this is the scene where I meet Kurt.

Leno: The first part.

Courteney: This is like the opening scene of the movie.

Leno: Ok. Take a look. Here we go, 3000 Miles to Graceland.

(They show the clip.)

(The audience applauds.)

Leno: That’s her new movie. It opens this Friday. Courteney, I know you have to run, thank you very much. Courteney Cox, ladies and gentlemen.

(They hug and she kisses him.)