Jennifer Coolidge knows a good one when she sees one.
Speaking with PEOPLE at the Tuesday premiere of her upcoming movieLike A Boss, Coolidge revealed she knewReese Witherspoonwas special even before they first worked together onLegally Blonde.
“I remember seeing Reese in a bunch of movies beforeLegally Blonde. I knew how talented she was,”The Cinderella Storyactress, 58, said. “So, duringLegally 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.’”
Jennifer Coolidge, Reese Witherspoon.
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.”
And Witherspoon, 43, only went up from there.
TheSweet Home Alabamaactress went on to win a Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Actress forher portrayal of June Carter in the 2005 Johnny Cash biopicWalk the Line. Additionally, Witherspoon has alsowon accolades forBig Little Lies, which she helped produce, and most recently, for her role inThe Morning Show, which she and costar Jennifer Aniston received a Golden Globe nomination for.
Coolidge stars as Sydney, one of the employees of the cosmetics company, alongsidePose’sBilly Porter,Deadpool’s Karan Soni andCrazy Rich Asians’ Jimmy O. Yang.
Like A Bossopens in theaters Jan. 10.
source: people.com
