Years before her breakthrough role as Monica Geller in Friends, Courteney Cox appeared in Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” music video in 1984. She recently recreated her moves via a TikTok trend asking older folks to dance like it was the ‘80s.
Cox begins the clip wearing a sweatshirt which she eventually pulls off to reveal her Springsteen shirt like the one she wore decades ago. She moved her body to the beat almost as perfectly as the original, although she hardly considered it a good dance by her standards.
Courteney Cox’s appearance on ‘Dancing In The Dark’ came by surprise
@courteneycoxofficial1980’s dancing… in the dark
Cox was a young actress with credits on just a soap opera and a New York telephone ad when she auditioned for the Brian De Palma-directed music video. She recalled feeling intimidated by actual dancers present in the casting room, which immediately watered down her hopes of getting selected.
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Surprisingly, she was selected among many to join Springsteen on stage at the Minnesota concert despite her weird moves. In retrospect, Cox thinks Brian was seeking a natural setting featuring a fan who “could not believe” she was getting on stage with the singer, hence why she landed the part.
Dancing on stage helped boost Courteney Cox’s career
The 59-year-old’s embarrassing dance from forty years ago helped push her career to greater heights, as she became more recognized globally by that one clip. Shortly after, she landed a role in Family Ties where she co-starred alongside Michael J. Fox, and then played Julie Winston in the fantasy movie Masters Of The Universe.
Cox’s name became ingrained in Hollywood entertainment history when she played Monica in Friends from 1994 to 2004, although she can hardly tell her success story without mentioning the role “Dancing In The Dark” played in putting her out there. The song was such a hit that more music icons like John Legend, Taylor Swift, Tina Turner, and James Blunt put their creative spin on it by releasing their cover versions.