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She made use of pre-fame invisibility -

On 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' in 2021, Coolidge recalled how, before she became famous, she liked two guys who were best friends, so she pretended that she was a set of identical twins so that she could date both!

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Her life-changing role as Stifler's mom -

Many years after starring as Stifler's mom in 'American Pie' (1999), Coolidge was very candid about the effect of that role on her life. Speaking to Variety in 2022, she joked, “I got a lot of sexual action from 'American Pie.' There were so many benefits to doing that movie. I mean, there would be like 200 people that I would never have slept with."

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Sherri Ann Cabot's early lesbian legacy -

'Best in Show' (2000) is one of the most slept-on films of Coolidge's career. The mockumentary follows five show dog owners going to a highly competitive national dog show, and Coolidge plays trophy wife Sherri Ann Cabot who barely hides the fact that she's only interested in her husband for his money, and who ends up falling for the dog trainer, played by Jane Lynch.

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Improvising from the very start -

So many of her famous one-liners were improvised, like in 'Best in Show' when she was talking about her near-death husband and said emotionally: “We both have so much in common… we both love soup.”

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Even her lowest points were iconic -

In 2020, Coolidge recounted a story to Rachael Ray about how she was once fired from an MTV show through a bathroom stall. The producer came into the lady's room and told her she was fired, then on her way out she ran into another producer who didn't know she was fired and scolded her for not having her costume on. She informed him and he just went, “Oh, well take care!”

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Paulette Bonafonté's bend and snap -

Coolidge's most popular role is Paulette Bonafonté in 'Legally Blonde' (2001), a manicurist who befriends Elle (Reese Witherspoon). Her iconic lines are still quoted today, including "I'm taking the dog, dumb—s!" as well as, of course, her famous "bend and snap."

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Paulette Bonafonté in general -

The most popular Paulette quote is in the sequel 'Legally Blonde: Red, White and Blonde' (2003). After seeing Elle in her all-American outfit, Paulette says: "You look like the Fourth of July! Makes me want a hot dog real bad!" Coolidge has said in interviews that people recite this quote to her all the time.

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The one where she was on 'Friends' -

Coolidge appeared on an episode of 'Friends' in 2003 as Amanda Buffamonteezi, an old friend of Phoebe's and a New Yorker who returned from England with a faux accent. She impressively makes everyone hate her within just three minutes of screen time.

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If you go low, she goes lower -

In 2011, Coolidge's agent said a theater in London was putting on a production of the musical 'Legally Blonde' and wanted her to audition for the role she had in the film the musical was based on. Coolidge asked why it wasn't a straight offer and her agent said they wanted to see if she could sing and dance. She said, “Look, if I got up onstage and farted, and that's all I did, it would still be the lady from the movie!”

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A boost from Ariana Grande -

In a moment that Coolidge credits for relaunching her career, Ariana Grande recreated the nail salon scenes in 'Legally Blonde' for her 2018 music video for 'Thank U, Next,' in which Coolidge actually reprised her role as Paulette.

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Her Halloween costume -

Ariana Grande also went as Coolidge's character from 'Best in Show' for Halloween and upon seeing her costume, Coolidge remarked, “This is f—king great. I was gonna go as the young boy's pet weasel from 'The Watcher' but now I think I'm gonna go as Arianna's dog Toulouse.”

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How she got out of a ticket -

Coolidge was on Conan O'Brien's show when she recalled how she got out of a ticket. She said she was pulled over and a cop told her she had no plates on her car, and “Everything he said, I would just go 'No, you're kidding!'," and when she thought she was going to get a ticket he just drove away. “I think he felt so bad that I had to live my life like that,” she laughed.

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The evil stepmother -

'A Cinderella Story' (2004) saw Coolidge reimagine the role of the evil stepmother in a modern context, wearing tanning goggles as she told her stepdaughter, “Now that you're old enough, there's something that I've always wanted to tell you and I think you're ready to hear it. You're not very pretty, and you're not very bright. I'm so glad we had that talk.”

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Sophie Kaczyński in '2 Broke Girls' -

Before her 2020s renaissance, Coolidge's most popular gig was playing a wealthy Polish owner of the absurdly titled cleaning company Sophie's Choice, complete with a Polish accent and endless tales of her sex life. Coolidge aptly got a round of applause every time she entered a scene.

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Her terrible British accent -

'Austenland' was largely panned by critics, but Coolidge outshone the whole cast and gave a lesson in comedic timing. The film follows Coolidge and the main character (played by Keri Russell) as they visit a Jane Austen-themed resort in the UK, and the best parts of the film are hands down when Coolidge mimics the British accent.

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Her iconic comeback -

'The White Lotus' marked Coolidge's triumphant return as the unhinged heiress Tanya McQuoid, who went on vacation to a luxury resort in Hawaii to scatter her late mother's ashes. She was so beloved by the cast and creators of the show that she was the only character to return for the second season, which was even funnier.

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“These gays, they're trying to murder me!” -

After spending years out of the spotlight, Coolidge was able to completely dominate the meme-sphere with her delivery and physical comedy in her rich, lonely, middle-aged role.

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Dancing to the beat of the Emmys drum -

When she was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series for her role in the first season of 'The White Lotus,' Coolidge struggled to give her speech within the time constraints. But when the music started playing she protested and continued, and when the music switched to a jazzy arrangement of 'Hit the Road Jack,' she just gave up and started to dance.

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Her lavender baths -

In that same speech, Coolidge added that she'd taken “a lavender bath” just before the show, saying it made her “swell up” inside her dress. “I'm having a hard time speaking,” she deadpanned. “But anyway, this is so thrilling…” As the music started playing she said, “Wait, hold on. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I'm full. I'm full,” pointing to her dress.

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She really thought her career was over -

At the 2023 Golden Globes, Coolidge picked up Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Motion Picture for 'The White Lotus' and gave the most out-of-breath, genuine speech, which began with her putting the award on the ground because “I don't work out,” and went on to thank the five people who kept her career going all those years. “I didn't know anybody and it was just this thing that wasn't going anywhere,” she said candidly of her Hollywood dry spell.

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She can joke about what fame does -

Coolidge also addressed 'The White Lotus' creator Mike White and said, “You sort of changed my life in a million different ways, my neighbors are speaking to me, things like that” and said onstage that she was “never invited to one party” and “now everyone's inviting me!”

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Her dream role -

Backstage at the Golden Globes, two Access Hollywood reporters asked Coolidge what her dream role would be, and she replied without any of her usual hesitation: “I've always wanted to play a dolphin.”

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Manifesting her dream role -

Then not too long after, in a Super Bowl commercial for e.l.f. Cosmetics unsurprisingly written by Mike White, Coolidge applies the company's primer, peers into the camera, and exclaims, “Looks like I came from the sea! Like a dolphin! Like a baby dolphin!” She then spends several seconds doing an impressive dolphin impression.

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She's a real-life Tanya McQuoid -

“Anyone that works for me realizes…that I really have no business being where I am,” Coolidge told Rachael Ray of her assistants, explaining that she always ends up being bossed around by them because “the smarter person wins.”

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She has no interest in getting good at "technical stuff" -

Coolidge added that her father once told her that if she learned how to do all that stuff then she could get her power back. She told Rachael Ray that she replied, “Yeah, but I don't want to.”

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Her first TikTok -

Proving that she's dedicated to earning a new, younger fanbase while still honoring her older fanbase, Coolidge recited a poem for her first TikTok in total seriousness: “Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got / I'm still Jenny, Jenny, Jenny / From the block.” The camera then panned to J.Lo who gives her cool approval.

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She is the greatest friend -

At the 2023 SAG Awards, Coolidge brought her friend, actor Tim Bagley, as her date. And as she accepted the award for Female Actor in a Drama Series for 'The White Lotus,' she gave him a shout-out. “My wonderful date, Tim Bagley, is my date for the night. He's my best bud for like 20 years,” she said. “Thank you, you're a wonderful date tonight. I can't wait until we get home.” The audience laughed, since Bagley is gay.

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Accidental gay icon -

Screenwriters and directors are most certainly appealing to Coolidge's loyal LGBTQ+ audience, and her role as Aunt Sandy in the 2021 queer Christmas rom-com 'Single All the Way' was made specifically for her. Coolidge's lines are the film's most memorable, including: “The gays just know how to do stuff. For some reason, they're all obsessed with me.”

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Her guilty pleasure -

On the podcast '20 Questions: On Deadline,' Antonia Blyth asked her for her guilty pleasure, to which Coolidge replied, “I like to buy a big bag of bubblegum and then just chew it for two seconds and then put it on the side.” She continued, “I can just go through the whole bag…I feel like I'm being really decadent.”

Sources: (Variety) (PinkNews) (Insider) (The Cut) (LA Weekly)

See also: Actors who didn't make it until later in their lives

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