Jennifer Coolidge Reveals Regret Over Getting 'Distracted' Early On In Her Career

Hollywood actress Jennifer Coolidge, known for her role as the hilariously eccentric Tanya McQuoid-Hunt in the hit TV series "The White Lotus," opened up to Variety about a career decision she profoundly regrets. 

As she reflected on her enduring Hollywood career, Coolidge admitted that she got distracted at some point, revealing that the regret continues to haunt her.

Read on for more details.

Coolidge, renowned for her impeccable comedic timing and ability to steal the spotlight with her larger-than-life characters, sat down with "Shameless" star Jeremy Allen White as part of Variety's "Actors on Actors" interview series.

When asked by White if she began acting with a view of longevity, the actress confessed that her "fatal flaw" and one of her long-standing regrets was commencing without a strategy and not "riding the wave" she had in the 1990s.

"Now that I'm old enough to look back at my life and certainly my mistakes, I see many of those. But I never had any strategy. I just went job to job," she explained.

Coolidge continued, "I have to say I made the terrible mistake of not riding the wave I had early on. It was sort of in the '90s when I had 'Legally Blonde,' 'Best in Show' and 'American Pie.' And then there was 'Cinderella Story' and stuff like that."

In her chat with White, the "Shotgun Wedding" actress candidly admitted that she didn't "ride the wave" due to getting distracted by other commitments and personal matters at the time. Reflecting on that period, she acknowledged the need for better focus and the ability to prioritize career opportunities.

"... But there was a moment. There was a wave I could have ridden, but I got distracted," the actress noted. As for the exact reason she got distracted, Coolidge stated, "I started pursuing guys."

She added, "I wasn't paying attention. I just thought I had my whole life. I never said, 'I want to do ...' I did get some jobs, but I didn't have a plan. And I think that was a fatal flaw because it took so long to get anything going later. I look back and ask, 'What was I thinking?' And then I bought a house in New Orleans and was consumed with fixing that up."

The "Gravity Falls" alum weighed in on her projection for the third installment of "The White Lotus," sharing her prediction of what will happen to (Tanya's husband) Greg, portrayed by Jon Gries.

"My hope for Jon is that he's not finished with Greg. I hope there's some comeuppance for evil Greg. I think he should, I don't know, end up in a meat-grinding machine," she stated.

Coolidge also admitted that saying goodbye to her character in the show was challenging as the writer, Mike White, was looking for a "big Italian opera ending," so he wanted her to die for many reasons.

"But I also think Tanya's a lot. Maybe people would get sick of her on another season. Maybe people would be like, 'Oh, my God. Get rid of Tanya!'" she admitted.

In the series, Coolidge's character Tanya dies after realizing Greg's murderous plans, which spurred her to go on a shooting spree aboard a yacht, killing the group of gays Greg had hired to kill her. She fell overboard and died after trying and failing to get to safety after the rampage.

When asked about filming the scene, Coolidge said she's "never getting on a boat again."

"I was creeped out because we did shoot it in order, hanging out with the guys," she said. "It felt genuine. I did like killing them all."

"It's my awkwardness with the gun that, I think, really helped," Coolidge added. "We had to reshoot that a bunch of times. 'Where's the gun? The inside of the bag is black. I can't find it.' But it all felt real. When you're on a boat, and you're in the middle of the ocean, and there is nowhere to go, what if your cast mates hate you? They could push you. Anyone can get rid of you on a boat."