Jennifer Coolidge has a theory about what has fueled her new Hollywood status amid her recent career renaissance.
“The White Lotus” star told People in an article published Wednesday that she thinks people are drawn to her “underdog” story.
“I think people liked that I was the underdog,” she said. “I played a lot of strange women, and people were amused by the comedies I’ve done. Then Mike White put me in ‘The White Lotus’ and it was a drama and comedy at the same time — I never really had that.”
Many fans of Coolidge have celebrated the recognition she has received in recent years after 20-plus years working in the industry. The beloved actor won her first Emmy for her role as Tanya McQuoid in “The White Lotus” at the 2022 Emmys in September. She also won a Golden Globe for the role last month.
During her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, Coolidge thanked “White Lotus” creator Mike White for casting her in the critically acclaimed series, and for giving her hope and a “new beginning.”
Coolidge has talked about the recent revival of her acting career on several occasions.
Last year, the actor told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” that she credited him and Ariana Grande for helping her get through a career “dead zone.”
Grande had done a memorable impression of Coolidge during an appearance on the late night talk show in 2018. Coolidge told Fallon that the “ball got rolling” after that impression.
The actor explained that she connected with Grande on social media after the episode aired, and that that exchange led to her appearance in the singer’s music video for her 2019 hit song, “Thank u, next.”
Coolidge told Grande in a December interview conducted for Entertainment Weekly that the singer was “sort of the instigator” for her recent career success.
“I think if you hadn’t put me in ‘Thank u, next,’ and done that imitation, I don’t think I would be here where I am,” she told Grande.
Speaking more about her recent boom in stardom, Coolidge told People in Wednesday’s article that she thinks the current awards season has made her more recognizable to fans when she’s out in public.
“I don’t know if they just played clips of me so many times on the Internet or Instagram, but it doesn’t matter what disguise I have on, I can be wearing a frog costume with a helmet and people know it’s me,” she said.