If you've ever wondered what the inspiration behind Mike White's hit social satire, The White Lotus, was, the answer lies in a trip to Africa that the director took with his friend Jennifer Coolidge in 2018. 'Being in the Serengeti and being in incredibly intense heat, and Mike being able to just... It was like nothing [for him], and I was like "Oh my." Somehow I couldn't handle these flights into the Serengeti so I was incredibly sick in these vomit bags and, you know, I'm just amazed that Mike White was speaking to me after the trip,' she tells ELLE UK in a game of Ask Me Anything. 'I couldn't handle anything, and I had this fear of snakes so I'd have to look in the tent for five hours to check for snakes. This is before Tanya [McQuaid] and so I think that got me the role of Tanya.'
Indeed, what a role Tanya McQuoid in the first and second seasons of The White Lotus was. Starring as the arrogant, self-centred heiress who falls for conman Greg (sorry, Gary) before falling — once again, this time quite literally — to her death, Coolidge's turn in White's series revitalised her 40-year Hollywood career. But the best part of the role for her? 'Going into a nightclub and hearing "These gays, these gays are trying to murder me" was amazing. I've never had people coming up with songs for me. Tanya was my first and last,' the A Cinderella Story actor explains.
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Next up is A Minecraft Movie, in which Coolidge plays Vice Principal Marlene who, in true Coolidge fashion, is in equal parts funny, fabulous and entirely unforgettable. The film, which was shot on-set in New Zealand, also introduced the actor to the world of gaming for the first time.
Things haven't always been plain-sailing for the Boston-born star. In her game of Ask Me Anything, she remembers her first audition at the age of 12 for a role in The Wizard of Oz. Needless to say that it didn't quite go the way 12-year-old Coolidge had hoped it might have. From her funniest dinner party story (it's very good), to why exactly she owns more costumes than real clothes (yes, really), watch Jennifer Coolidge's Ask Me Anything at the top of this article.
A Minecraft Movie is in cinemas throughout the UK and Ireland now.
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Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years’ worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.
