Jennifer Coolidge gave fans an insight into the method she used to get rid of self-doubt – and it involves watching “really bad stuff”.
The actor has entertained audiences since the Nineties with her roles in the American Pie franchise, Legally Blonde, and most recently for her portrayal as eccentric heiress Tanya McQuoid in the acclaimed anthology series The White Lotus.
Coolidge has spoken openly about the gratitude she felt at being able to play such a memorable role so many years into her career. Her turn as Tanya has earned the actor high praise and several awards since the show’s 2021 debut.
During a panel talk at the Vivid Sydney festival on Saturday (10 June), Coolidge was asked about dealing with self-doubt.
“I’m going to get a lot of hell for saying this,” she replied, as seen in a fan’s TikTok video, adding that it “is going to be something that I might regret saying”.
She then admitted that she’d learnt to feel better about herself and her abilities by watching other people fare badly at the same thing.
“I think one of the best things to cure self-doubt is just to go to really bad stuff,” she stated, sparking laughter from the audience.
“I’m talking about plays you hear about that are terrible – go to them. There [are] shows on television that are terrible – watch them.”
Coolidge, 61, went on to explain that this idea came to her after watching an unimpressive performance of the musical Oliver during a time she was struggling.
She said: “I was in college and I just hated myself and I was so full of self-doubt. Anyway, I went to this terrible production of Oliver...”
After doing an impression of the actors on stage, which included saying “Oliver!” in a squeaky voice, Coolidge explained: “I mean everyone was bad in it, the whole show!
“I felt like the seas had parted; I felt like I had a chance in this world. Not the good stuff, the good stuff is just intimidating and you’re like, ‘how could I ever f***ing do that?’”
Elsewhere, the comedy star recently revealed her reason for never having children in a profile interview with GQ.
