Jennifer Coolidge on Sex, Seduction, and Stifler's Mom

In honour of this year's 'Jennaissance', I'm sharing the full transcript of our interview from 2019. Plus additional musings on mystery, sex symbols, and The White Lotus.

The most powerful sexual magnet is a question mark. A sense of someone not being fully present; the feeling of only being able to look so far into their eyes before you bump up against a locked door, behind which lies a deep space of little mysteries. To make room for all the projections and fantasies that combine to create a “sex symbol”, there has to be an element of enigma. This can take many forms – Audrey Horne’s dreamy machinations in Twin Peaks, Carmy’s highly-strung determination in The Bear, Emma D’Arcy murmuring the words “negroni sbagliato with prosecco in it” – though perhaps the most important factor is tragedy. The recognition of a certain darkness, and the sadness of not being able to understand it. Or the threat of something bad happening, and the regret of not having known enough to prevent it.