Courteney Cox opens up about aging, says past cosmetic injections made her look 'really strange'

The years may be flying by, and that’s all right with Courteney Cox — for the most part.

The “Friends” star, 57, opened up about getting older in an interview with The Sunday Times published Sunday. Cox said she can relate to the emotional struggles of her middle-aged character in the upcoming Starz dramedy “Shining Vale,” in which she plays Pat Phelps, an erotic novelist “going through this midlife crisis slash menopause.”

“I can obviously relate to being that age where you’re like, ‘Oh wow, I can’t believe I’m right here,’ and (asking) what makes you happy,” Cox told the British outlet. “I understand that midlife stuff completely.”

Cox said it’s difficult to wrap her mind around her approaching 60s. “Oh God, it’s so hard to even hear or say. I can’t believe it,” she said.

“There’s nothing wrong with being 60; I just can’t believe it,” Cox added. “Time goes so fast. There’s no question that I am more grounded, I’ve learned so much in my life — what to enjoy, what to try to do more of and what to let go of.”

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One of the things Cox has let go of is undergoing cosmetic procedures to maintain the youthful image she had when she was on “Friends,” which ran from 1994-2004.

“There was a time when you go, ‘Oh, I’m changing. I’m looking older.’ And I tried to chase that (youthfulness) for years,” Cox said. “And I didn’t realize that … I’m actually looking really strange with injections and doing stuff to my face that I would never do now.”

She added: “People would talk about me, I think. But there was a period where I went, ‘I’ve got to stop. That’s just crazy.’ ”

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While Cox said the scrutiny of being an older actress in Hollywood can be “intense,” she can be her own harshest critic.

“I don’t know if it could be more intense than what I put on myself,” she said, adding that she will “try anything” when it comes to beauty products.

But for Cox, youth is more of a feeling than a date on the calendar.

“I feel like I’m young,” Cox said. “I have a lot of friends in their thirties, and I don’t think about it. To me, we’re the same age, until I actually study it.”

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Courteney Cox opens up about aging, past cosmetic procedures