Though Jennifer Coolidge is experiencing a career renaissance thanks to an Emmy-nominated role in HBO’s anthology show The White Lotus, her unforgettable turn as “Stifler’s mom” in the American Pie franchise has brought her more personal satisfaction. In a recent interview with Variety, the actor revealed that she slept with “200 people” after playing the character.
During the sitdown, Coolidge was asked which title she prefers: first-time Emmy nominee or MILF. After calling it a trick question, she said the former distinction was “an honor,” but explained that “there were so many benefits” from her breakout role.
“I got a lot of play [from] being a MILF and I got a lot of sexual action from American Pie,” she said. “There were so many benefits to doing that movie. I mean, there would be like 200 people that I would never have slept with.”
In the first American Pie movie, released in 1999, Coolidge was introduced as Jeanine Stifler, the mother of Steve Stifler and Matt Stifler. Steve’s friends all tease him about how attractive she is, calling her a MILF (Mother I’d Like to Fuck). To his great chagrin, she sleeps with one of his best friends Paul Finch by the end of the film. The character was featured in all four mainline movies in the series.
Meanwhile, Coolidge is featured as troubled heiress Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus, stepping away from her typical casting as comic relief. “I feel like the coach asked the other actors to let me dribble the ball more,” she told Variety. “Give the ball to Jennifer once in a while. I get to shoot now.”
Originally slated as a limited series, The White Lotus has been renewed for a second season slated to premiere in October 2022. Coolidge will be the only major cast member to reprise their role in the show’s shift in location from Hawaii to Italy.
Jennifer Coolidge on the benefits of being a MILF in #AmericanPie: "There would be like 200 people that I would never have slept with!" https://t.co/FhlBAoU12a pic.twitter.com/8aUeuzmgEB
— Variety (@Variety) August 3, 2022
