From American Pie to The White Lotus, an ode to actress Jennifer Coolidge

Revealed at 38 as Jeanine Stifler, the MILF fantasy (” Mother i’d like to fuck ” : literally ” mother i’d like to fuck quintessentially, Jennifer Coolidge knows what she owes american pie and its sequels. “I enjoyed it to the last drop. “, he jokes last January, when he received the first Golden Globe of his career, in front of his hilariously peers.

“There are no small roles… the saying goes, just a great actress. It only took Jennifer Coolidge one scene, in this school comedy released in 1999, to make this hot mom character iconic. She doubled the bet in 2001 on Revenge of a blonde and its sequel in 2003, where she plays the hilarious Paulette, an insecure beautician who thrives alongside Elle (long live the frat!) and ends up confronting her junkie ex. Along the way she learns the famous technique of ” Fold and snap and uses it in a very personal way with his crush (she accidentally breaks his nose!). Jennifer Coolidge excels in the parody of “Broken Barbie”, too old to wear pink skirts and pastel hair clips, too awkward to play the femme fatale.

Categorized in the stereotype of the child, both object of desire and contempt of the male gauze, the actress perfects this character, making it so camp (that heart-shaped mouth, her half-closed eyes, that grimacing smile, her hyper-feminine gazes) that it becomes subversive. She then chained the secondary roles seasoned in comedies: Like Cinderella (2004), DataMovie (2006) or American Dreamz (2006).

Saved by gays

On stage at the Golden Globes, the 61-year-old actress delivers a sometimes funny and moving speech. “I had so many big dreams when I was young, but, you know, what happens, they get overshadowed by life… I thought I was going to be Queen of Monaco! And then you get older and tell yourself it won’t happen again. » Behind his jokes, he expresses his disappointments with a disarming sincerity. She also celebrates the meetings that saved her career, warmly thanking Michael Patrick King, Ryan Murphy and Mike White, three gay producers who hired her in various productions (sex and the city, Nip/Tuck, Glee…). “You allowed me to continue working, these small roles carried me for twenty years. »

The world of the series loves Jennifer Coolidge, who has illustrated herself recurringly in The Secret Life of the American Teenager AND 2 broke girls. Ryan Murphy, who toured with her again in 2022 for The observerhe is full of praise for his abilities. “There were moments where Jennifer would improvise for seven minutes and get standing ovations from the team. […] Jennifer is one of the greatest actresses of all time. »

Jennifer Coolidge’s other gay fairy godmother is Mike White. After calling her in 2009 onwards Mr. Broncos, offers her a decade later the role of Tanya, a chaotic rich heiress, who spends her holidays in a luxury hotel chain. This character hot pieof a confused naivety, but also very aware of his own defects (“I need someone to take care of me. And I’m deeply insecure.” he says to the first person arriving at the hotel), is his masterpiece. It sums up the career of an underrated actress, which was not expected at this level of depth. From the first season of the HBO series, she provides us with tasty moments, such as the most embarrassing ash-spreading scene in the history of the series.

Blindsided by her privileges, but also in constant need of love, she’s soul (and laughter) more than white lotus. Tanya, knighted by a group of Sicilian gays who adore her, but also incite her murder, finds herself trapped on a luxury boat and tries to escape. “These gays, they’re trying to kill me!” she says, scared. A replica that is already cult and meta if ever there was one of hers, Jennifer Coolidge who has a large gay fan club, which tends to confine her to her role as an eternal anxious blonde.

white lotus gave Jennifer Coolidge the opportunity to express all her vulnerability and her incomparable comedic talent. On stage at the Golden Globes she thanks her showrunnerin a style that belongs only to her: “Mike, you gave me a fresh start, even though it ended up killing me!” You’ve changed my life in a million different ways. My neighbors are talking to me now! I haven’t been invited to any parties on my hill, and now everyone invites me. » Touched by this new recognition, the actress takes the opportunity to make the assembly laugh and casually tell her four truths to an industry that works on hype. Like Michelle Yeoh and Angela Bassett, also honored that evening, she has joined the select club of actresses over 60 celebrated in the industry. And she avenged every underrated blonde on the planet.

Front page photo credit: HBO.