Jennifer Coolidge has claimed theatre producers in the U.K. wanted her to audition for the role she had already played onscreen in Legally Blonde.
While speaking to Variety for a new interview, The White Lotus star recalled being asked to try out for a 2011 stage production of the hit 2001 movie, in which she played manicurist Paulette Bonafonté.
“I said to my agent, ‘What do you mean, audition?'” the actress recounted. “It’s not a straight offer?”
Jennifer’s agent reiterated the question and asked whether she would be willing to fly to London to audition for a part she had already played.
“My agent said, ‘I think they just want to see if you can sing and dance.’ Look, if I got up onstage and farted, and that’s all I did, it would still be the lady from the movie!”
Over a decade later, Jennifer admitted that she’s “still angry about this”, and that the agent no longer represents her.
During the discussion, the 60-year-old also opened up about feeling undervalued in Hollywood, with a dry spell in work that ended after Legally Blonde was released.
“Ten years of my life of auditioning,” she lamented. “None of it added up to a job. The fear is gone when you’re so used to losing. There’s some freedom in that.”
But following the success of The White Lotus, Jennifer has noted a different perspective forming.
“I feel like the coach asked the other actors to let me dribble the ball more. Give the ball to Jennifer once in a while,” she summarised. “I get to shoot now.”
