Actress Jennifer Coolidge revealed that there is a line from Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde that haunts her wherever she goes. Coolidge is a comic actress who has held many iconic roles, including playing various parts in Christopher Guest's mockumentaries beginning with 2000's Best in Show. However, she is likely best known for two roles: Stifler's Mother in the American Pie series and Paulette Bonafonté in the Legally Blonde franchise, which stars Reese Witherspoon as valley girl turned lawyer Elle Woods. The first Legally Blonde film, which was loosely adapted from the Amanda Brown novel of the same name, was released theatrically in the summer of 2001, hitting number 1 on its opening weekend before being trounced by the following weekend's dino sequel Jurassic Park III.
Legally Blonde introduces Coolidge's earthy and bubbly hairdresser Paulette in a series of memorable scenes where Elle visits her salon in times of strife to seek advice and companionship. One of her first legal triumphs is helping Paulette reclaim her dog from the clutches of her layabout ex-boyfriend, and the two become fast friends. Paulette was such a popular character that she returned in the 2003 sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, in which Elle goes to Washington, D.C. to promote an anti-animal testing bill.
Deadline recently sat down with Coolidge to discuss her role in the hit HBO comedy The White Lotus, which is premiering season 2 this October. When asked which of her many memorable lines has been quoted by fans most throughout her career, she revealed that one of her quips from Legally Blonde 2 - "You look like the Fourth of July! Makes me want a hot dog real bad" - is by far the most remembered, and continues to be quoted at her by fans any chance they get. She is puzzled by its wide-ranging appeal, revealing she gets "so many DMs and texts" quoting it as well. Read her full quote below:
You know, it’s so weird because there’s something about the Fourth of July line from Legally Blonde 2. I get so many DMs and texts and people leaving things in my mailbox. And if I’m out on that day, people just go nuts. I don’t know, it’s probably that line Paulette said, where she goes, “You look like the Forth of July. That makes me want a hot dog real bad.” I hear that the most.
While it's unusual for a scene or a line from a sequel to be remembered just as fondly as from the original film, it makes sense that Legally Blonde 2 still has so much cultural capital. Although it didn't garner a third sequel at the time of its release, it was almost as financially successful as the first film, making a total of $124.9 million. Paulette is also a character that hasn't faded from the cultural consciousness, to the point that Coolidge was asked to reprise the role in Ariana Grande's 2000s movie-inspired music video for "thank u, next."
Although there wasn't a proper sequel at the time, there is now a Legally Blonde 3 on the horizon, slated for a theatrical release in 2023. Although the production schedule is still unconfirmed, it has been announced that Coolidge will be returning. Hopefully, for her sake, she will be able to deliver a line that is even more iconic, and finally wash Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde from people's minds so she can stop being perplexed by that particular line's longevity.
Source: Deadline