Jennifer Coolidge has disclosed that her infamous role in the 1999 movie “American Pie” led her to sleep with 200 people.
The 60-year-old, renowned for her portrayal of Jeanine “Stifler’s Mom” Stifler, gained widespread recognition and even popularized the term ‘MILF’ (Mother I’d Like to F***) in reference to a line from the film.
The actress humorously mentioned that she received a lot of attention due to her iconic role. Speaking to Vareity, she said:
“Ya know, I got a lot of play being a MILF. And I got a lot of sexual action from American Pie. There were so many benefits to doing that movie … There would be, like, 200 people that I would never have slept with.”
Her performance led to her reprising her part in American Pie 2 (2001), American Wedding (2003) and American Reunion (2012), as well as landing roles in films such as Legally Blonde and A Cinderella Story, and even making a cameo appearance in the iconic sitcom Friends.
She revealed that she had struggled to find acting work before American Pie, acknowledging that decades of rejection left her with a sense of having nothing to lose rather than feeling downbeat.
She added:
“The fear is gone when you’re so used to losing. There’s some freedom in that.”
Jennifer later landed a role as Tania in 2021’s The White Lotus, after being cast by creator and friend Mike White.
“Some jobs, I’m sort of going, ‘Wow, this isn’t worth working for.’ What Mike [White] wrote, I was staying up late every night,” Coolidge admitted, referring to the “White Lotus” creator who convinced her to be a part of the series.
In fact, the “Best in Show” actress revealed she nearly talked herself out of playing the part. Now, she’s gearing up for its sophomore season, which airs in October 2022.