The actress also reveals why she nearly turned down her Emmy-nominated role in 'The White Lotus.'
Jennifer Coolidge says her iconic role in American Pie came with quite the benefits.
The 60-year-old actress offered a defining take on MILFs -- which is, of course, short for Mom I'd Like to F**k -- in the 1999 comedy, playing Stifler's (Seann William Scott) magnetically charismatic mother. Years later, Coolidge says that part scored her some unbelievable action in the bedroom.
"I got a lot of play of being a MILF and I got a lot of sexual action from American Pie," she says in an interview with Variety.
"There were so many benefits to doing that movie," she continues. "I mean there would be, like, 200 people that I would have never slept with."
Coolidge is no stranger to playing evocative characters. Among her parts that have been etched in pop culture history are Paulette Bonafonté in Legally Blonde, Sherri Ann Cabot in Best in Show and, most recently, wounded heiress Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus. The latter role scored Coolidge her first Emmy nomination, while she'll also be one of the only original cast members to return for the HBO anthology's second season.
The part of Tanya was, in fact, written specifically for Coolidge by friend and show creator Mike White -- but the star says she nearly didn't accept it.
"I didn't like the way I looked," she admits to Variety. "But did I change it for The White Lotus 2? No! I didn't change anything!"
Counters White, "There was just no way she was ever going to say no, because I would have forced her by her hair. The reason I was doing this was to do it with her."
The show was originally conceived of as a limited series that would follow the lives of the guests and staff members at a Hawaiian resort known as The White Lotus.
However, after the show's massive commercial and critical success, it was picked up as an anthology series, in which each season would take place at a different White Lotus resort across the globe.
"They haven't told me what the script is," Coolidge revealed to ET back in November. "But, I hope I have lots of romance and sex in this next one. I felt like I didn't get enough of that in the first one."
Many new stars are set to join Coolidge and Jon Gries for the new season, including F. Murray Abraham, Aubrey Plaza, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander, Sabrina Impacciatore, Michael Imperioli and Theo James.
According to Variety, The White Lotus: Sicily will premiere in October.
See a first look at the new season below.
RELATED CONTENT:
