Whether you were even alive to watch it or still young now to have a clue what I’m on about, American Pie is one of those cult classics.
Now knocking on for 26 years old, the coming-of-age film introduced the world to the sex-mad Stifler, the unforgettable warm apple pie intimate moment and, of course, Stifler’s mom.
It was in that iconic role that Jennifer Coolidge had her big breakout as an actor. Oh, and it can’t exactly be denied that playing Jeanine Stifler, the ultimate ‘MILF’, made her a total, mainstream sex symbol.
The actor made the most of that, too, saying she slept with a whopping 200 men thanks to the status that American Pie gave her.
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Playing Stifler’s mom when she was 38 years old, her character was, of course, the sexy older woman who seduced teen Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) in the hit movie.
And in 2022, the White Lotus actor revealed the ‘benefits’ of playing the role.
“I got a lot of play being a MILF and I got a lot of sexual action from American Pie,” Coolidge told Variety.
“There were so many benefits to doing that movie.
“I mean, there would be like 200 people that I would never have slept with.”
To be fair to Coolidge, what a way to ride the high of the cult film’s success, especially given it’s literally a sex comedy.
She really rode it too, getting to play the legendary character four times in the franchise for: American Pie, American Pie 2, American Wedding and American Reunion.
However, in that same interview, Coolidge discussed feeling typecast after playing Stifler’s mom and Paulette Bonafonté Parcelle in the Legally Blonde films - as she felt no one in Hollywood wanted her to play serious roles.
"The saddest thing about life is that you just make decisions about yourself,” the 64-year-old said. “If I’m not getting great roles, I come to the conclusion that people think I’m incapable of that.
"And then I make the decision that I am incapable of that. You actually have to have a [White Lotus director] Mike White that comes in and says, I think you can do this.”
Thankfully, her role as Tanya McQuoid in the HBO series has helped elevate her status even higher in the industry, finally earning the star her first Emmy Award nomination.
Petition to get Coolidge in more films and get her an Oscar nomination, anyone?
Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film
Jess Battison