There are no words to describe how iconic Jennifer Coolidge is. Starring in several cult classics, she has been an integral part of popular culture and created an archetype of her own. While she stands as one of the most beloved women in the film industry, she still has a dating life.
In several interviews, Coolidge has been quite vocal about her experience dating as a public figure, specifically talking about how men approach her based on her success. Most recently, she mentioned that her role in The White Lotus has significantly impacted her romantic life in a way even American Pie was unable to.
Was playing a helpless woman better than playing a mother?
Jennifer Coolidge has played many types of characters in her career. From an insufferable stepmother in A Cinderella Story to a salon icon in Legally Blonde, the actress has seen many types of characters affect her life in different ways. However, it was one specific film that ended up getting her in good and bad trouble.
In an interview with Variety, Coolidge joked that she got a lot of benefits from playing the role of Stifler’s mom in American Pie. Among many things, she stated that there would have been “200 people” she never would have slept with had she not starred in the film. Naturally, the media quickly jumped on an opportunity to burn a woman for being promiscuous, painting headlines with the news.
Soon after, the actress told Entertainment Weekly that she had greatly exaggerated the number, and she was simply trying to make a joke. She even joked that she would have wished for it to be true, but it wasn’t. Considering the picture that Coolidge painted of the benefits she got from the 1999 classic, it is difficult to imagine that there would be any project that could get better results for her in that department.
I did say that jokingly and, God, you really can’t make jokes in our town, because I did make the terrible mistake of saying, “Thank God for that movie, I got to sleep with 200 men,” or whatever. And look, I would love to say that was true, but I mean, that was sort of an exaggeration.
However, it would seem that playing a sensual mother wasn’t nearly as advantageous as playing a woman in distress.
The dating game has changed for Jennifer Coolidge
While American Pie didn’t help Jennifer Coolidge sleep with 200 people, it must have certainly aided in her dating life significantly. However, it would seem that nothing compares to the benefits she got from playing Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus. Tanya was certainly no normal person, being notably out-of-touch and somewhat strange.
While one would assume that playing such a character would hurt Coolidge’s dating life, it had quite the opposite effect. In an interview with The Sunday Times, the actress revealed that despite her character, she has had an excellent dating life because of the critically acclaimed series.
She even added that the effect was better than that of the 1999 classic. While one might wonder why such a thing would happen from a logical standpoint, Coolidge gave a theory. Since audiences felt quite bad for her character, getting killed off in a bland manner, the actress believes that men feel more attracted to her. Coolidge said,
Even though I play a complete weirdo in ‘White Lotus,’ cute guys come up to me. This is far better than ‘American Pie’ because people were really sad about Tanya falling off a boat. These men like you better because they feel that you went through something. That show really upped my game.
While Tanya had a tragic farewell and was not able to help Belinda, she was able to better Coolidge’s flirting game.
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