Courtney Cox Reprises Classic Bruce Springsteen Moment With TikTok Trend
Cox jumped on a recent TikTok trend of '80s dances to reprise her star-making turn in Springsteen's 1984 music video for "Dancing in the Dark."
Courtney Cox reprised her role from Bruce Springsteen’s "Dancing in the Dark" video for a new TikTok trend. The craze finds TikTokers asking their parents to show off how they would’ve danced to a specific song (in this case, Bronski Beat’s "Smalltown Boy") in the 1980s.
@morgansarareesh I got it from my mama !! #smalltownboy #bronskibeat #80sdancechallenge #80sdance #newwave #80snewwave #askedmymom #mymominthe80s
♬ Smalltown Boy - Bronski Beat
A number of notable celebrities, including Cyndi Lauper, have jumped on the bandwagon.
@cyndilauper Oh, #80s #dancechallenge you say? @Bronski Beat ????????
♬ Smalltown Boy - Bronski Beat
On Sunday, Cox posted a TikTok in which she both embraced and bucked the new trend while playfully parodying her breakthrough role. The Scream star famously appeared in Springsteen’s classic 1984 music video as a regular gal plucked by The Boss from his arena audience to cut a rug on stage with him. She was hand-selected for the role by legendary filmmaker Brian De Palma, who directed the video.
The video begins with Cox, clad in a blue pullover, dancing to "Smalltown Boy." After a moment she shakes her head, rips off her sweater, and reveals the shirt she wore in Springsteen’s video. She then does a version of her arm-waving "Dancing in the Dark" dance, which it must be said is not a million miles away from this trend’s other ‘80s moves.
@courteneycoxofficial 1980’s dancing… in the dark
♬ original sound - Courteney Cox
Before that role, Cox had only one episode of As the World Turns on her resumé. The Dancing in the Dark video catapulted her to fame, with roles in TV and film coming immediately on its heels. Just over 10 years after the video premiered, Cox’s signature series, Friends, debuted on NBC.
Fans were thrilled to see Cox reprise her famous moves. “Only appropriate dance for you to do (in my opinion) for this trend,” @CheriSYA wrote, while another user told Cox, “You win this trend.”
During a 2022 interview on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show, Cox said that while she loves Springsteen and the song, she’s “a little embarrassed” about the video itself.
“Did you see my dance?” she asked. “It was pathetic. I’m not a bad dancer, but that was horrible. I was so nervous.”
Cox recalled the awkward experience of going up against professional dancers for the role and having to make up a dance on the spot for the intimidating De Palma. “He put on the music and said, ‘Would you dance?’” she recalled. “It was so embarrassing.”
Ultimately, though, Cox believes her awkwardness earned her the role—and a decades-spanning career. “I think that’s why I got it. Because I was literally like, ‘Uh, ok.’ And I think that’s what they wanted,” Cox said. “Just a fan who, like, couldn’t believe it.”