Jennifer Coolidge in 5 wacky roles, from American Pie to The White Lotus

By Violaine Schütz.

Published on 7 July 2025. Updated on 9 July 2025.

“I’ve always want to play a dolphin.” That was Jennifer Coolidge’s unexpected answer to the question, “What’s the ultimate dream role for you now?”, on the Golden Globes red carpet, on January 11th, 2023. A quip that may make you smile. But it says a lot about the personality and talent of the 63-year-old actress, who took home an Emmy Award in 2024.

Since 2021, the year the satirical show The White Lotus premiered, the star has made a major comeback. She is proving that she can play just about anything. From the MILF/cougar in American Pie (1999–2012) to the clumsy beautician in Legally Blonde (2001), the actress has made a name for herself playing wild, straightforward, sexy, and eccentric women.

Jennifer Coolidge’s bumpy and fabulous rise, from waitress to lead character in The White Lotus

But Jennifer Coolidge also knows how to bring depth to her roles, as shown in the second season of The White Lotus. A master of improvisation and survivor of a long dry spell during which she was offered only minor parts, the Boston-born bombshell is just as unpredictable and endearing in real life as she is on screen. Clearly, her life hasn’t always been easy. Jennifer Coolidge seems to draw on that experience to fuel her comic and theatrical flair, infusing her zany performances with a surprising tenderness.

We know that the recipient of a Golden Globe and two Emmy Awards used to work as a waitress in a New York restaurant, alongside Sandra Bullock, in the 1980s. To get into nightclubs, she would pretend to be a Hemingway.

But the actress has also shared with a refreshing honesty some of her darker moments. Indeed, she revealed that she went through phases in her life when she would eat six pizzas a day. She was suffering from depression and anxiety attacks at the time. She was also battling her addiction to cocaine and alcohol, spent some time in rehab and used to date a lot of young toyboys. These unfiltered revelations make Jennifer Coolidge’s already chaotic journey all the more dazzling. Numéro takes a look back at 5 of her best roles.

The best roles of Jennifer Coolidge, star of Shotgun Wedding

Jennifer Coolidge as a MILF in American Pie

After landing small roles in several films – a parody of Pulp Fiction titled Plump Fiction, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me – and TV series like Seinfeld, Jennifer Coolidge finally scored the first major role of her career. And it got people talking… In American Pie (1999), the actress plays Jeanine Stifler, the mother of Steve Stifler, one of the students at East Great Falls High. In this schoolboy comedy, she flirts with teenage boys, and even goes further with one of them.

Her role as a shameless MILF and “cougar”, which she extended in sequels of the franchise, would follow her around for years. It also brought her an unexpectedly active sex life. In a 2022 interview with Variety, she admitted: “I got a lot of play at being a MILF and I got a lot of sexual action from American Pie. There were so many benefits to doing that movie. I mean, there would be like 200 people that I would never have slept with.”

The American Pie saga (1999–2012) is available on Max.

https://youtu.be/cv2NO6JeSRU

Jennifer Coolidge as Reese Witherspoon’s confidante and manicurist in Legally Blonde

Robert Luketic’s cult comedy Legally Blonde (2001) is best remembered for Reese Witherspoon’s dazzling performance as Elle Woods. A pink-clad Barbie far smarter than she seems, who enrolls at Harvard Law to win her ex back. Yet, Jennifer Coolidge also stood out as Paulette, the protagonist’s big-hearted manicurist and confidante. A woman acting awkward with men but always ready to lend a helping hand…

With her quirky outfits, heavy makeup, kitschy blowout, and impeccable comic timing, Paulette has all the same characteristics as many other roles played by Jennifer Coolidge – bubbly and offbeat. She is especially hilarious in the scenes where she gets flustered around the UPS delivery man she has a crush on. A fan of her appearance in the film, Ariana Grande asked the actress to star in the music video for her hit Thank U, Next in 2018. Jennifer Coolidge credits that cameo as the catalyst to her on-screen renaissance with The White Lotus in 2021.

Legally Blonde (2001) by Robert Luketic, available on myCanal.

The actress as Monica and Phoebe’s former roommate in Friends

Jennifer Coolidge has appeared in many TV shows, such as Seinfeld, Rude Awakening, Frasier, Sex and the City, Nip/Tuck, 2 Broke Girls, Glee, The Watcher or The White Lotus. But her appearance in the season 10 of Friends is arguably one of her funniest. In the 2003 episode The One with Ross’s Tan, she embodies Amanda Buffamonteezi, the self-absorbed former roommate of Monica (Courteney Cox) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), a New Yorker making a fool of herself with a fake British accent.

Jennifer Coolidge didn’t keep fond memories of the shooting though. She remembers an overly serious and intimidating atmosphere. She wasn’t allowed to improvise her lines. However, the producers did give her full permission to break out into bizarre “French cancan” dance moves.

Friends (1994-2004) by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, available on Max and Prime Video.

Jennifer Coolidge as an unstable millionaire in The White Lotus (2021–2023)

With HBO’s satirical series The White Lotus (created by Mike White), Jennifer Coolidge, now 63, proved that there’s more to life – and career – for an actress after 50. She portays the unforgettable Tanya McQuoid, a wealthy, unstable woman searching for love. The heiress heads to a idyllic, luxury seaside resort to unwind after her mother’s passing. One of the most compelling storylines of the show…

Her performance, which includes many improvised lines, is already legend. Aside from Jon Gries, who plays her husband, Jennifer Coolidge is, in fact, the only actress to appear in both seasons of the hit series. Mike White wrote the role of Tanya specifically with her in mind. He even drew his inspiration from her for some scenes. With that series, the American actress received an Emmy Award and won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2024. Her acceptance speech became instantly iconic, making the audience both laugh and cry. “My neighbours are speaking to me. I was never invited to one party on my hill and now, everyone’s inviting me!,” she declared.

The White Lotus (depuis 2021) by Mike White, available on Max.

Jennifer Coolidge as Jennifer Lopez’s tyrannical mother-in-law in Shotgun Wedding

Jennifer Lopez, Lenny Kravitz, Jennifer Coolidge – they are the three reasons why you should watch the action, romantic comedy Shotgun Wedding, available on Prime Video since 2023. In this film about a wedding hijacked by dangerous criminals, The White Lotus‘ star plays the mother-in-law of the bride (J.Lo). Awkward, funny, and overbearing, her character gifts her future daughter-in-law used kitchen knives and asks her not to sleep with the groom the night before the wedding. Catching Jennifer Lopez wearing lingerie in her hotel room, she bluntly asks her whether that gorgeous body is the result of genetics or Pilates.

Numéro went to a press conference where the actress said: “I’ve always loved these kinds of movies that mix comedy with something scary. That’s really my favorite kind of films. I haven’t been in many like that.”

Again, at that same press conference, she commented on her on-screen chemistry with her co-star Steve Coulter, who plays her husband: “Steve appreciates funny women. He even married one. Some guys don’t like comic actresses. They want you to be more serious. But Steve’s into it. So that’s great. When you’re working with an actor who wants to joke around with you, it’s amazing. I’ve never been married. Yes, I’ve never been married. I haven’t had Steve’s luck. I haven’t found the love of my life.” Even if she hasn’t found her soulmate yet, there are probably millions of people secretly in love with the American star now.

Shotgun Wedding (2023) by Jason Moore, available on Prime Video.