Finding early success with her appearance in the 1999 coming-of-age comedy American Pie, Jennifer Coolidge turned into an overnight pop culture icon. Her breakthrough role in the movie later gave her the opportunity to star opposite Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde and alongside Hilary Duff in A Cinderella Story.
However, after unconventionally earning her iconic status, Jennifer Coolidge decided to choose a career as a distinctive character actor rather than starring in blockbuster roles or Academy Award-winning movies. Focusing on pursuing men for romance rather than her career, Coolidge admitted to making a terrible mistake.
Jennifer Coolidge Looks Back On Her Career And Laments
The 90s icon Jennifer Coolidge, recently won praises and accolades for her performance as Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus. Apparently, the actress is now winning more awards than she ever did, for any other role, in her entire 30-year career. Despite being a renowned actress for her unconventional roles, Coolidge turned into a late bloomer in the industry.
Looking back upon her roles in American Pie, and Reese Witherspoon‘s Legally Blonde, Jennifer Coolidge stated finding a place as a memorable supporting presence on screen. But later on, her career faced stagnancy because of her self-made “terrible mistake” of failing to capitalize on that success. Speaking with Variety, Coolidge explained the misstep.
“Now that I’m old enough to really look back at my life and certainly my mistakes, I see a lot of those. But I never had any strategy. I just went job to job. I have to say I made the terrible mistake of not riding the wave that I had early on. It was sort of in the ‘90s when I had Legally Blonde, Best in Show and American Pie.”
Claiming that she deserved more success and spotlight than she got, Jennifer Coolidge mentioned it was her own mistake that turned her life and career upside down.
Jennifer Coolidge Recalled The Big Mistake Of Her Life
Delving deeper into her career, Jennifer Coolidge recalled spending the early 2000s starring in lesser-known films like 2003’s Carolina. Later on, during the interview, the actress explained why her career suffered a miserable blow despite her early success. Discussing how she shifted her focus from her job to pursuing guys, Coolidge called it the “fatal flaw”.
“And then a few years later, there was Cinderella Story and stuff like that, but there was a moment, I started pursuing guys.”
Leaving behind her successful career, when Coolidge began focusing more on her love life, the actress mentioned making the biggest mistake. Ruining not just her career but also her life, and eventually failing to find a suitable partner as well, the actress lamented how she failed to prioritize things.
“I wasn’t paying attention. I just thought I had my whole life. I never said, ‘I want to do…’ I did get some jobs, but I didn’t have a plan.”
However, despite her “fatal flaw” or her “terrible mistake”, nothing stopped Jennifer Coolidge from achieving her status as an icon and stellar supporting presence. From her screen-stealing presence as Paulette in Legally Blonde to her recent most iconic appearance in HBO’s The White Lotus, the actress has earned a unique success.
