Jennifer Coolidge’s ‘The White Lotus’ Role Earned Her a Trip to the Emergency Room

The White Lotus earned Jennifer Coolidge much more than her first Emmy victory. Before production even began, the hilarious star was sent to the emergency room thanks to a spray tan. Coolidge, 61, recently told Allure she had a bad reaction, and needed medical attention the moment she landed in Hawaii.

“For The White Lotus, I didn’t want to look like a big, white marshmallow on the beach in Hawaii, so I got a spray tan,” the Best In Show star said, via Entertainment Weekly. “I got on the plane and I started to feel really weird. By the time I got off the flight, I had to go to the emergency room.”

Coolidge’s medical emergency influenced the makeup she wore before cameras. They used regular makeup during production. “The minute we stopped filming, I would shower. I have such a quick reaction to stuff,” she recalled, adding that her makeup allergy was a sudden development.

“I was never someone who cared very much about ingredients,” Coolidge said. “Then, I’d say the last five or six years, I started getting allergic. My eyes would always be tearing up, but it never occurred to me that it was my makeup.”

Coolidge gave one of the most acclaimed performances in The White Lotus as Tanya McQuoid, a troubled woman hoping to find peace at the resort after her mother’s death. She is the only major star from Season 1 returning for Season 2, which is set at a resort in Sicily. Jon Gries, who had a recurring role in Season 1 as Greg, who Tanya started a relationship with, is also returning.

The White Lotus was created by Mike White, who also directed and wrote all six Season 1 episodes. The show won a whopping 10 Emmys in the Limited or Anthology Series categories, including Outstanding Series. White won Outstanding Directing and Writing, while Murray Bartlett won Outstanding Supporting Actor. Connie Britton, Sydney Sweeney, Natasha Rothwell, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Lacy, and Steve Zahn were also nominated for their performances.

Although Coolidge’s career is filled with unforgettable performances, her win for The White Lotus is the first major award victory ever. That’s one reason why her acceptance speech on Monday was so memorable. She tried to stay on stage as long as she could by dancing to the play-off music. “Gosh. What a night,” she told the audience. “I just want to say, to my fellow nominees, just to be in your company is incredible. And I just want to say, I took a lavender bath tonight right before the show, and it made me swell up inside my dress and I’m having a hard time speaking. But anyway, this is so thrilling because [bleep].”

The White Lotus Season 2 is expected to debut in October. The entire first season is available to stream on HBO Max and was just released on DVD.