Courteney Cox knows one thing for certain.

Cybil, the character she plays in the action drama 3,000 Miles to Graceland, would never be pals with Monica, her character on Friends.

"Cybil is the complete opposite of Monica. She is so free spirited and overtly sexual. She is so full of life. She isn't a downer ever," explains Cox.

"That's quite a departure from Monica, who is rather obsessive compulsive and set in her ways. Monica has been loosening up a bit these past couple of seasons, but she is still the moral centre of the group."

When she was called in to read for 3000 Miles to Graceland, Cox was faced with a quandary.

"I was just grateful that they let me audition, because a lot of people in the industry have me seriously pigeon-holed because of Friends.

"I didn't know if I should go in to the reading as Courteney or as Cybil. I decided to give Cybil a try."

Cybil is decidedly trashy.

As Cox points out: "Her bra has to be showing no matter what outfit she's wearing.

"I wore a short, tight skirt, my highest heels and I made sure my bra was very prominent."

Once Cox entered the room to meet director Demian Lichtenstein and several of the film's producers, she felt a blush coming on.

"I was feeling a bit embarrassed. I didn't know whether they thought I was dressing for the character or if this was the real me. That feeling passed quickly because all I wanted them to know was that I really, really wanted the part."

Lichtenstein was impressed enough to give Cox the only real female role in this boys-with-guns movie.

That was a realization that struck Cox the moment she arrived in Vancouver to start filming 3000 Miles.

Her co-stars included Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, Christian Slater, Howie Long, Thomas Haden Church, Bokeem Woodbine, Kevin Pollak, John Lovitz and her husband David Arquette.

"They all just treated me like one of the guys. I appreciated that until we got into filming some of the more physical scenes. I bruise easily and they weren't pulling any punches."

In one sequence, Costner's character uses his van to force Cox's car off the road. It's a harrowing chase sequence which ends with Costner dragging her by the hair and pushing her.

"I didn't do any of the driving, but that was me getting pushed, pulled and kicked."

Cox's scenes with Russell involved a different kind of physical contact.

They have some wild sex scenes.

"Even when we were just rehearsing those scenes I had to tell Kurt not to be so realistic. I had to remind him to fake his character's ardor.

"Kurt is into realism. His character has been in jail for the better part of seven years and Cybil is his first woman."

Cox admits it was liberating to play a sexually aggressive woman.

"Cybil loves sex and isn't afraid to show it. I think that's great. Everything about her is great.

"She's also a conniver so you don't know whether she is a good girl or a bad girl. She's definitely the best character I've been able to play so far."

It may be difficult for audiences and the other characters in the film to determine whether Cybil is good or bad, but there's no question the ex-con Russell plays is a bad dude.

So why does Cybil fall in love with him so quickly?

"I think she falls in love because we are all looking for love. He's kind of perfect for her.

"He's trouble. He's gorgeous, but he also has a good heart.

"She wants to be taken care of. I think that's what we're all basically looking for."

Cox starred as reporter Gail Weathers in the Scream trilogy, but she says those movies did little to help change her Friends image.

It was on Scream that she first met Arquette, who played Sheriff Dewey.

They became engaged on the set of Scream 2 and married after filming Scream 3.

"I don't think people even know I was in those movies.

"I can be walking down the street with David and people will yell: 'Hey Dewey. Hey Monica.' "

CBS has put its reality show Survivor 2 up against NBC's Friends on Thursday nights.

Cox admits on Thursday nights she has "definitely switched over to CBS to see who was kicked off. I watched the whole of the first Survivor episode after the Superbowl.

"Now, I just tune in to see who's still left. It's just the last five minutes of Survivor that matter to me.

"I don't watch Friends on TV because I have the tapes and I can and do watch it at my leisure."


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