True to Herself
Through the ups and downs of a career in show business, Jennifer Coolidge has always managed to remain sincere and grounded, which makes her recent stardom all the more rewarding.
When it comes to Hollywood stars, many are adept at presenting as the self-deprecating, earnest and reticent artiste whose own success has come somewhat as a surprise, even to them.
It’s a well-trodden interview technique that conveniently promotes their “everyman/everywoman” persona, and mostly people see through it for what it is.
Then there’s Jennifer Coolidge.
For starters, Coolidge really doesn’t give a damn about her public persona. At 63, the vivacious star has her cards firmly on the table and is too long in the game to pander to such frivolities.
Secondly, there isn’t an insincere bone in the actress’s curvaceous 5-foot-10 body; so when she candidly admits to being blown away by the accolades and attention bestowed upon her surrounding the success of HBO’s The White Lotus—the award-winning black comedy about the privileged impulses of a number of guests and employees of a fictional hotel chain, in which she plays Tanya McQuoid, a wealthy but somewhat tragic holidaymaker—you know she really means it, in much the same way she was openly distraught when not being called back for season three.
That rejection stunned fans of the star, albeit in the process made her “woman about to save herself from murder ends up drowning instead” overboard exit at the end of season two arguably the most perfectly flawed way to end a period of absolute success. It’s fitting that having got to the point where the tides had turned, after years of feeling she had not enjoyed the career she perhaps deserves, it was to be the tide that again pulled her out to sea.
Regardless of all that, Coolidge can still say she has had decades as a mainstay in popular culture. Her first big role was as one of Jerry Seinfeld’s girlfriends in his eponymous sitcom, and following the huge success of the American Pie franchise she was always unmistakeable when featuring in one-off parts of iconic shows of that era, including Friends and Sex and the City.
There was also her turn as loveable manicurist Paulette Bonaforté—opposite Reese Witherspoon’s wannabe lawyer Elle Woods—in Legally Blonde, a film adored by ambitious young women everywhere including, it seems, Ariana Grande, who asked Coolidge to reprise the role in her 2018 music video for her hit song “thank u, next.”
Yet long periods without the prestige of lead roles have made Coolidge one of Hollywood’s more applaudable, and belated, success stories, and as one door closes, another invariably opens, after all.
Q&A
So let’s start with the elephant in the room, the return of The White Lotus, albeit without you.
It was a marvelous thing to be a part of and I haven’t pretended that I’m not disappointed to have been taken away from it, but the way season two ended for Tanya, that failed jump into a lifeboat, I think is really a metaphor of so much.
So let’s start with the elephant in the room, the return of The White Lotus, albeit without you.
It was a marvelous thing to be a part of and I haven’t pretended that I’m not disappointed to have been taken away from it, but the way season two ended for Tanya, that failed jump into a lifeboat, I think is really a metaphor of so much.
To be so close to salvation and peace, and have it taken away from you, is really my life experience [laughs], and the fact I’m no longer a part of it, that makes me thirsty and hungry and all those other emotions that mean I’m looking forward to finding out what the next big thing is, and I’ll just go after that instead.
And surely you will look back and be so thrilled at how it went?
Oh, of course. Listen, I am never greedy. It happened to me and I’m absolutely thrilled about that, as you say.
And surely you will look back and be so thrilled at how it went?
Oh, of course. Listen, I am never greedy. It happened to me and I’m absolutely thrilled about that, as you say.
And if I was doing season three then I probably wouldn’t have been able to do The Minecraft Movie, which has been a lot of fun and something we are all very excited for.
Yes, you co-star with Jack Black and Jason Momoa. It doesn’t get much bigger than that.
The best thing was the working environment. It’s a big film, a big budget, and comes with the pressure of trying to do the game justice, but despite that we had so much fun shooting the film. And that’s the way it should be.
Yes, you co-star with Jack Black and Jason Momoa. It doesn’t get much bigger than that.
The best thing was the working environment. It’s a big film, a big budget, and comes with the pressure of trying to do the game justice, but despite that we had so much fun shooting the film. And that’s the way it should be.
I have always worked hard to open doors and build opportunities, and it has often felt like someone had sealed me away from all of the possibilities in life and I wasn’t allowed out unless it was totally certain that I wouldn’t make a scene. Well I didn’t make a scene and I am proud of everything that I’ve achieved.
Yet making a scene is precisely what everyone wants you to do, going all the way back to seducing your teenage son’s friend as the iconic Stifler’s mom in the American Pie franchise. It must be a lot of fun to be that person, right?
I get that I have a presence, and clearly I’m glad of that or I wouldn’t have had the success I have, but none of that comes from ego. I really don’t tap into the whole ego thing, and I never have.
How is it you’ve managed to keep your feet on the ground then?
I think a lot of that comes from being my own biggest critic. The fact my career hasn’t always been rocket propelled has led me to scrutinize and be self-inspecting, and I’ve never felt it bad to be like that.
When was it toughest?
It’s usually always toughest at the start. I moved to acting school in Los Angeles from my native Massachusetts at the age of 21 and those early years were particularly brutal.
Yet making a scene is precisely what everyone wants you to do, going all the way back to seducing your teenage son’s friend as the iconic Stifler’s mom in the American Pie franchise. It must be a lot of fun to be that person, right?
I get that I have a presence, and clearly I’m glad of that or I wouldn’t have had the success I have, but none of that comes from ego. I really don’t tap into the whole ego thing, and I never have.
How is it you’ve managed to keep your feet on the ground then?
I think a lot of that comes from being my own biggest critic. The fact my career hasn’t always been rocket propelled has led me to scrutinize and be self-inspecting, and I’ve never felt it bad to be like that.
When was it toughest?
It’s usually always toughest at the start. I moved to acting school in Los Angeles from my native Massachusetts at the age of 21 and those early years were particularly brutal.
I mean, I was prepared for some level of rejection, but the knockbacks often felt relentless. There was one time when a casting agent summoned me into her office just to tell me that she didn’t intend to put me forward for anything as she “only cast beautiful people.” That stuff is brutal and so utterly pointless. It serves no one any purpose whatsoever.
The demoralizing part is when you realize you are going through the same cycle again and again—the script, the audition, the phone call. After a while you wonder if someone has blackballed you somewhere along the line.
Of course that’s just the life of 99 percent of actors, and we all know that; but when it’s you, it’s still difficult. As an actor you know the better the work you have now, the further forward that will reverberate over time—it’s all a long process.
Yet you’ve often talked about finding positives from rejection.
Yes, that’s true. And when you do start landing work, I will say the wisdom, earned and not inherited, is the same thing that gives you the ability to add so much depth to characters that in other hands might otherwise feel merely skin deep.
And you’ve had other battles too.
Yes, addiction, all the cool stuff. I always wanted to be a bit controversial and edgy in those early days, and frankly I needed to be because it was the only way to get spotted, sometimes.
You’ve never married—is that something that still might come along?
I don’t know, it’s complicated. The past has never held too much encouragement for the future, and as far as those past transgressions go regarding men and relationships, I could justifiably castigate myself for chasing after the affections of those who didn’t want me for who I was.
Yet you’ve often talked about finding positives from rejection.
Yes, that’s true. And when you do start landing work, I will say the wisdom, earned and not inherited, is the same thing that gives you the ability to add so much depth to characters that in other hands might otherwise feel merely skin deep.
And you’ve had other battles too.
Yes, addiction, all the cool stuff. I always wanted to be a bit controversial and edgy in those early days, and frankly I needed to be because it was the only way to get spotted, sometimes.
You’ve never married—is that something that still might come along?
I don’t know, it’s complicated. The past has never held too much encouragement for the future, and as far as those past transgressions go regarding men and relationships, I could justifiably castigate myself for chasing after the affections of those who didn’t want me for who I was.
I would be here all day and most of the night if I was to list the many times where I have neglected my own career and distracted myself from where I should have been focusing. Maybe that’s the reason why it could have taken a bit longer for me to get the chances I am getting now; I don’t really know.
What I do know is you should never feel in your life that good times can’t happen for you if you are single. Nothing could be further from the truth. Being by yourself is wonderful, it really is, and you still get to surround yourself with good people, positive people—just ensure they are realistic people also.
You are always one to offer great credit to those who help you along the way. It must be nice when others do the same.
Of course. If I can give anyone a push in the right direction by putting in a word, or just helping them showcase their work better, then I always will. How could I not?
I’m probably the best person to realize how important that sort of interaction can be. At the end of the day, I was the ultimate jobbing actress for three decades, surviving on a lot of supporting roles and never really feeling as though I had the appeal to be taken seriously as a lead name in a few projects back-to-back. I wouldn’t say I was surviving on scraps, but it was certainly a case of not feeling as though I was getting the recognition for my efforts.
You are always one to offer great credit to those who help you along the way. It must be nice when others do the same.
Of course. If I can give anyone a push in the right direction by putting in a word, or just helping them showcase their work better, then I always will. How could I not?
I’m probably the best person to realize how important that sort of interaction can be. At the end of the day, I was the ultimate jobbing actress for three decades, surviving on a lot of supporting roles and never really feeling as though I had the appeal to be taken seriously as a lead name in a few projects back-to-back. I wouldn’t say I was surviving on scraps, but it was certainly a case of not feeling as though I was getting the recognition for my efforts.
The fact that all changed so dramatically, and at a time in my career where I might have legitimately felt my best days were behind me, was down to my long-term friend and filmmaker Mike White, after he championed me in his White Lotus pitches to TV network executives.
Apparently he said your casting was ‘non-negotiable,’ right?
Yes. And of course I would deem such a statement to be admirable and also totally foolish [laughs]. But as I said in my Golden Globes speech [for Best Supporting Actor], he really did give me hope, and a new beginning.
Apparently he said your casting was ‘non-negotiable,’ right?
Yes. And of course I would deem such a statement to be admirable and also totally foolish [laughs]. But as I said in my Golden Globes speech [for Best Supporting Actor], he really did give me hope, and a new beginning.
I also thank Ariana [Grande] for giving me the role she did in the music video for “thank u, next.” It shows how sometimes the most dramatic turnarounds can come from the smallest of projects. And it’s crazy how something like that can prove a springboard when three decades on screen cannot, but these are the realities of how the industry is – and how the world is – today. It’s fickle at times, but even fickle can feel incredible.
My friendship with Ariana also recemented the notion of not giving a damn, and this was something that had patterned much of her early career. I’d forgotten the immense surge of power that feeling brings, and I missed it. In fact, I didn’t truly realize that I’d lost it, but as soon as you do realize something like that, you know you need to get it back pretty quickly.
Why do you think you lost that nihilistic approach to your craft?
I think age does that to you, and in many ways you need it to. We can’t live at 31 or 41 or 51 in the same way we did when we were 21. We are different people with different responsibilities, and there’s a maturity to life you need to present.
Why do you think you lost that nihilistic approach to your craft?
I think age does that to you, and in many ways you need it to. We can’t live at 31 or 41 or 51 in the same way we did when we were 21. We are different people with different responsibilities, and there’s a maturity to life you need to present.
However, there are many aspects of young people and young adults that we should look to preserve. It’s very easy to get beaten down by convention and etiquette, and these are intensified with all those feelings of insecurity. The older you get the more you realize you looked better in the past, or the next flourish of beautiful things are taking your place.
Yet you don’t need to bow down to all that stuff. Firstly, don’t listen or rate the opinions of others—people will always judge, and the best thing you can arm yourself with against those types is a smile—they absolutely … hate, let me tell you straight!
Secondly, rate, appreciate, and love yourself. And of course, thirdly, never, ever give up.
Secondly, rate, appreciate, and love yourself. And of course, thirdly, never, ever give up.
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, April 2025.
