{"id":702332,"date":"2026-05-01T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/numero.com\/?p=702332"},"modified":"2026-04-29T16:42:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T14:42:41","slug":"jennifer-coolidge-in-5-wacky-roles-from-american-pie-to-the-white-lotus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/numero.com\/en\/culture-en\/movies\/jennifer-coolidge-in-5-wacky-roles-from-american-pie-to-the-white-lotus\/","title":{"rendered":"Jennifer Coolidge in 5 wacky roles, from American Pie to The White Lotus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Steve\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Steve Coulter and Jennifer Coolidge in
 Shotgun Wedding<\/em> (2023) \u00a9 Ana Carballosa \/ 2021 Lionsgate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to play a dolphin<\/em>.\u201d That was Jennifer Coolidge\u2019s unexpected answer to the question, \u201cWhat’s the ultimate dream role for you now?<\/em>\u201d, on the Golden Globes<\/a> red carpet, on January 11th, 2023. A quip that may make you smile<\/span>. But it says a lot about the personality and talent of the 63-year-old actress, who took home an Emmy Award<\/strong> in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Jennifer Coolidge\u2019s bumpy and fabulous rise, from waitress to lead character in The <\/em>White Lotus<\/i><\/strong><\/h2><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But Jennifer Coolidge<\/strong> also knows how to bring depth to her roles, as shown in the second season of <\/span>The White Lotus<\/span><\/i><\/a>. 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\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

But the actress has also shared with a refreshing honesty some of her darker m<\/span>oments. Indeed, she revealed that she went through phases in her life when she would eat six pizzas a day. <\/span>She was suffering from depression and anxiety attacks<\/span> at the time. She was also battling her addiction to cocaine and alcohol<\/span>, spent some time in rehab<\/span> and used to date a lot of young toyboys. These unfiltered revelations make Jennifer Coolidge<\/strong>‘s already chaotic journey all the more dazzling. Num\u00e9ro<\/em> takes a look back at 5 of her best roles.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best roles of Jennifer Coolidge, star of <\/b>Shotgun Wedding<\/i><\/b><\/h2><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Jennifer\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Jennifer Coolidge starring in
American Pie 4<\/em> (2012) \u00a9 Universal Pictures International France.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer Coolidge as a MILF in American Pie<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After landing small roles in several films \u2014 a parody of <\/span>Pulp Fiction<\/span><\/i>\u00a0titled <\/span>Plump Fiction<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me \u2014 and<\/span><\/i> TV series like <\/span>Seinfeld<\/span><\/i>, Jennifer Coolidge<\/strong> finally scored the first major role of her career. And it got people talking\u2026 In <\/span>American Pie<\/i><\/strong>(1999), the actress plays Jeanine Stifler<\/strong>, 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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her role as a shameless MILF and \u201ccougar\u201d, 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 <\/span>Variety<\/span><\/i>, she admitted: <\/span>\u201cI got a lot of fun being a MILF and I got a lot of sexual action from <\/em>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<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Pie saga (1999<\/em>–2012)<\/em> is available on Max.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n