Friends: Why Courteney Cox Enjoyed Playing the 'Overweight Monica' More
If she had to choose between playing the "modern-day Monica" or the "past Monica," Courteney Cox would go with the latter — just because it was way more fun!
Throughout the ten long seasons of Friends, there were dozens of character jokes and facts that appeared out of thin air and were forgotten about later. Few of them actually stayed for the entire show: Ross being ultra-divorced; Janice being the bane of Chandler's existence; Monica being really overweight back in the day; and some others.
The latter became one of the favorite running gags of the show for the contemporary audience (that is strongly discouraged now for obvious reasons). Monica's joyful and chubby version from the past often appears in flashbacks to her, Rachel, Ross, and Chandler's younger years, and both fans and the cast loved her.
During the COVID lockdown, Friends was supposed to launch its anniversary episode — but it got delayed due to the restrictions. As everyone was stuck at home, Courteney Cox ( Monica) was binge-watching Friends and remembering the good old days to kill the time. This experience led her to some interesting revelations about her past role.
“I loved playing overweight Monica because I felt so free. I could dance <...> and just sit up and dance and have no problem at all. I did love it. Those are really good episodes," the actress recalled when speaking with Ellen DeGeneres.
We can definitely see where Cox's fascination with the "past Monica" is coming from. The "overweight Monica" in the flashbacks was the embodiment of happiness and excitement: she was always joyful, lighthearted, and compassionate. Later, after Monica lost the weight and turned into her "modern-day" self, she also lost quite a lot of that attitude to life along the way.
We think that Monica from the show sometimes missed her past self just like her actress, Courteney Cox. Honestly, the past Monica was just too wholesome and adorable to not love the episodes with her.