Jennifer Coolidge Knew Legally Blonde Was Going to Be Special: Reese Witherspoon's a 'Superstar'
Jennifer Coolidge knows a good one when she sees one.
Speaking with PEOPLE at the Tuesday premiere of her upcoming movie Like A Boss, Coolidge revealed she knew Reese Witherspoon was special even before they first worked together on Legally Blonde.
“I remember seeing Reese in a bunch of movies before Legally Blonde. I knew how talented she was,” The Cinderella Story actress, 58, said. “So, during Legally Blonde, every time I was talking to her in the movie, I was like, ‘You’re really good. You are so good and so believable.’”
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The movie, revered as an all-time classic today, tells the story of a young woman, Elle Woods, who gets into Harvard Law initially as an effort to win back her ex-boyfriend, only to surpass everyone’s expectations and become extremely successful in her journey. Coolidge plays Paulette, Elle’s manicurist and confidante throughout the film.
After its release in 2001, the movie was nominated for a Golden Globe for best picture — musical or comedy, and Witherspoon received a nomination for best actress.
“Sometimes, when you’re working with a really great actor, you think, ‘How could this not go really well?’” Coolidge told PEOPLE. “She was the lead and she just… you know, she’s a superstar.”
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And Witherspoon, 43, only went up from there.
The Sweet Home Alabama actress went on to win a Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of June Carter in the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. Additionally, Witherspoon has also won accolades for Big Little Lies, which she helped produce, and most recently, for her role in The Morning Show, which she and costar Jennifer Aniston received a Golden Globe nomination for.
Like A Boss entails the story of two best friends, played by Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne, who run their own cosmetics company, only to realize they are in deep financial trouble. When a beauty mogul (Salma Hayek) offers a buyout as a solution, the process puts their friendship to the ultimate test.
Coolidge stars as Sydney, one of the employees of the cosmetics company, alongside Pose’s Billy Porter, Deadpool’s Karan Soni and Crazy Rich Asians’ Jimmy O. Yang.
Like A Boss opens in theaters Jan. 10.
