Summary

Jennifer Coolidge steals the show as Ruth in Riff Raff alongside Bill Murray, Ed Harris, and Lewis Pullman.

Coolidge effortlessly balances the heartfelt and hilarious moments in the crime comedy.

Coolidge feels intimidated by how advanced TV shows are nowadays, but would love to be on The Bear.

Ah, family… can’t live with them, can’t live without them. That’s essentially what Dito Montiel’s Riff Raff, a modest crime comedy featuring an all-star cast in Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, Bill Murray, Pete Davidson, Jennifer Coolidge, and Gabrielle Union, boils down to. Written by John Pollono, who also wrote the 2017 Jake Gyllenhaal vehicle Stronger, Riff Raff tells the story of ex-criminal Vincent (Harris), who tries his best to live a normal life in a cabin in the woods with his wife, Sandy (Union), and their wise-beyond-his-years son, DJ (Miles J. Harvey). As one might suspect, this peace doesn’t last too long. In fact, it’s Vincent’s estranged son, Rocco (Pullman), and Vincent’s ex-wife, Ruth (Coolidge), who re-enter his life and wreak havoc — and try to warn him that Leftie (Murray) is pretty pissed off and wants some justice.
As she does with everything she appears in, Coolidge steals the show in Riff Raff. Her character, Ruth, is equal parts shameless as she is defensive and lonely, and the Emmy-winning star of The White Lotus is able to show a more emotional and vulnerable side of herself that we might not be used to. The comedic actress, known for her unforgettable roles in films like Best in Show, Legally Blonde, American Pie, A Cinderella Story, and the TV series 2 Broke Girls, balances the heartbreaking and hilarious emotional beats with ease.
During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Coolidge talks about why she’s intimidated by the current slate of shows on the air, the different ways she related to her character, Ruth, and how amazing Ed Harris is to work with.
Jennifer Coolidge Wants to Guest Star on ‘The Bear’

“Some of the shows are just so advanced.”

Image via FX

COLLIDER: It’s so nice to meet you.
JENNIFER COOLIDGE: Nice to meet you.
I love Best in Show, but I’m excited to talk about Riff Raff. So let’s dive in. First of all, a broader question would be… you’re someone that, when you jump into a project, you kind of just light up the entire thing, no matter the genre. So is there a TV show that you would want to guest star on that’s currently on the air?
COOLIDGE: Yeah. I mean, anything. I would play anyone on The Bear.
I was going to say The Bear because I know you had a great conversation with Jeremy.
COOLIDGE: Yeah, I did. I mean, I would be up for White Lotus 3. I’ll be really honest, lately, I’ve just been very intimidated by a lot of the shows that are out right now. I mean, I feel like, some of the shows are just so advanced. I don’t know. Like, I wonder if I could actually do any of them, you know? I’m glad Succession ended because I had a lot of anxiety about Succession, about like, whenever I would watch, I would just be like, “Oh my God, how did they do this?”
Yeah, it’s like a good tension, but, which is weird, but yeah, I totally get what you mean.
COOLIDGE: Yeah. They have like 18 monologues each episode each, you know? And they all managed to do it.
Jennifer Coolidge Felt a Deep Connection to Her ‘Riff Raff’ Character

You had some really great monologues of sorts in Riff Raff. I thought your character Ruth was very tough yet fragile. I thought you just balance the vulnerability and the comedic parts really, really well. And I’m just curious if you had a certain process going in, trying to find your character for this?
COOLIDGE: No, I didn’t. I didn’t have any process! No, you know, I did, but, it was sort of, I do have to say, when I read the script, I felt like I could do that part of Ruth because, I don’t know. She was a woman who had suffered a lot, and things hadn’t gone well for her and she was sort of… her early days were, you know, she was sort of she really had it going on. And then, you know, her later years were very depressing. And, I could relate to that, you know, like, you know, you know, just being a woman and you know, how fun it is in your 20s and 30s, you know. Then, when that year happens where, like, reality sets in and, you know, you’ve invested in some man that doesn’t like you… I don’t know. Just all that kind of stuff I could relate to. I could relate to and actually kind of, you know, you don’t have to relate to anything, really. If you want a part, you can play someone who doesn’t have anything that you have. And, you know, there’s no similarity. But I don’t know, I felt, you know, growing up in Boston and sort of with some people that were sort of rough around the edges, at certain… I felt like I knew that woman.
I feel like probably the most revealing scene was with Ed Harris’ Vincent in the garage.
COOLIDGE: Yeah.

And I was just curious, like, what it was like developing that rapport with Ed because it was so heartbreaking. And, you know, your character still manages to make it funny at times, but you just really feel for her. And she’s living in the past. And just how did you collaborate with Ed leading up to that?
COOLDIGE: Well, it was sort of funny. Even though he’s a true legend, he is incredibly polite and generous when you’re doing a scene with him. You wouldn’t, you know, not that other actors aren’t, but Ed Harris, he’s just intimidating because he’s… he just has an incredible body of work and, you know, he’s brilliant and, you know, so it’s hard not to sort of lose your mind when you’re with someone like that, you know? But yeah, I somehow was able to get through the scene. I have to say, there was a couple times where I really botched the scene terribly, and I think it was because I was very intimidated and, he’s a really nice guy, but I was, you know, he’s a superstar. Yeah, I was thrilled I got to work with him.
Yeah, it’s a great cast. And it’s interesting to me that you get so intimidated because you wouldn’t, you know. You fit right in. You were really great in this role. Do you feel like you intimidate people when you go onto set?
COOLIDGE: Not a chance.
Really?
COOLIDGE: No, they can see, you know, by the 50th time of, like, me misplacing my script and, you know, like, or just like, you know, losing stuff, I don’t know. I can have respect for a second, but people sort of see that it takes a very short amount of time for me to just show them that, you know, I can’t even find my way out of the driveway of that house in that spot.
Well, I mean, you’re fantastic. And I’ve been so excited to see all your success. And congratulations. I have to wrap, but congrats on Riff Raff.
COOLIDGE: Thank you!
I really enjoyed this film. Yeah, it’s great to meet you.
Coolidge: Yeah. So nice to meet you!
Riff Raff is in theaters now.

Riff Raff

Release Date

February 28, 2025

Director

Dito Montiel

Writers

John Pollono

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