Jennifer Coolidge says playing Stifler's mom in 'American Pie' opened her dating pool to 'younger' and more 'handsome' men

• • Jennifer Coolidge said "American Pie" helped her dating life "in a way that I can't ever explain."
  • Coolidge made the comments while chatting with Ariana Grande for Entertainment Weekly.

Jennifer Coolidge has said her iconic role as Stifler's mom in "American Pie" opened her dating pool to "younger" and more "handsome" men.

Speaking to popstar and longtime admirer Ariana Grande for Entertainment Weekly's Entertainers of the Year issue, published on Monday, the star of "The White Lotus" opened up about how the raunchy comedy gave her romantic life a bit of a boost in the early 2000s.

"It helped my dating life in a way that I can't ever explain," Coolidge said of "American Pie", after being asked about her favorite roles over her career and namechecking "Best in Show" and "Legally Blonde."

"If I hadn't had that movie, I don't think… Well, let's just say it would've been a very dull decade."

Coolidge starred in the 1999 film as the mother of one of the teen protagonists, Stifler (Seann William Scott). Known as "Stifler's Mom," the character has a fling with her son's classmate Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), leading to her being labeled a "MILF."

Grande, 29, then reminded Coolidge, 61, of the comment she made earlier this year about having sex with "200 people" thanks to the role and jokingly asked the actor if she could recall "the best dick you got from playing Stifler's mom."

Coolidge began to answer before the "7 Rings" singer interjected to tell her that she was under no obligation to divulge the details, explaining that she only asked the question as "I just wanted to make you laugh."

However, Coolidge was keen to dive into the subject and clarify that her earlier statement was slightly exaggerated for humor.

"No, I'm glad you asked this because, you see, I did say that jokingly and, God, you really can't make jokes in our town, because I did make the terrible mistake of saying, 'Thank God for that movie, I got to sleep with 200 men,' or whatever. And, look, I would love to say that was true, but I mean, that was sort of an exaggeration — so I'm glad you're asking me," Coolidge said.

Nevertheless, Coolidge said that the role "did sort of open up the world to a much broader group of handsome men — and younger men."

She recounted an experience with one "very, very charming" guy which turned very awkward the morning after when they called his mother to ask for a hair salon recommendation so Coolidge could get a blow dry.

"This one guy was particularly young — legal, of course, it was all very legal," she said. "I won't get into the details. But afterwards, the next morning, I told him I needed to get a blow dry. So he was so young, we called his mother to see where I could get a blow dry. It was so weird that happened on the phone — it was very clear that we were in the bed together."

"I'm sure she was very thrilled and starstruck," Grande replied. "I would've been thrilled. I would've been like, 'Wow. Hello. What an honor to meet you!'"

"Well, she gave me a good recommendation at a local mall, so it all worked out," Coolidge said.