Don’t tell Jim Levenstein, but Jason Biggs is seeing a new pie flavor right now. Nearly 25 years ago, the actor had an intimate and personal encounter with a hot apple pastry in the 1999 comedy blockbuster, American pie. A quarter of a century later, he’s spending the Fourth of July holiday with a limited-edition passion fruit pie from chilled sweets experts Edwards Desserts.
“No offense to Apple – we have quite a story,” Biggs jokes to Yahoo Entertainment about leaving Jim’s first love behind. “It has a very special place in my heart, my mind, and… elsewhere. But this pie is absolutely delicious, and it suits my palate better if I may say so. It’s more Jason and less Jim.”
Those wishing to further assess Biggs’ choice as a dessert partner can visit Edwards’ official website between June 30 and July 3 to order a passion fruit pie. And there could be another portion of American pie also on the way. Biggs echoes his co-star Seann William Scott in feeling the time may be right for a American meeting – well, another one.
“I would be 100% up for doing another movie,” he says. “I love working with each of these people. Every time we come back to set, it’s like we never missed a beat. And I loved playing Jim; he’s a very special character for me. We’ve thrown around a few ideas, some of which I think are really good. I feel like there’s so much to do, but I’d really like it to work. The nostalgia is very big in right now, and if the comments on my social media are any indication, there’s an appetite for it out there.”
We spoke with Biggs about the rocky future of R-rated comedies, whether it’s a certain scene from American pie could be done today (you know that one) and what Jennifer Coolidge and Eddie Kaye Thomas looked like as roommates.
You played a American pie– hate version of yourself in Kevin Smith Jay and Silent Bob strike back. What would View Askew-niverse Jason Biggs say about your adventure with Edwards?
Well, I just know that James Van Der Beek is somewhere right now laughing at me. It’s funny, this movie came out in 2001 and even then it was like, “I can’t get away from this pie!” And now, 25 years later, not only have I not escaped it, but I’ve totally leaned into it, embraced it, and made it a big part of my life! I had the opportunity to do something like that, and I’m just very protective of it. American pie is a special movie for me, and that particular scene resonates with people. I wanted them to feel the right amount of nostalgia and I wanted to do it in a very organic and fun way. I wanted to lean into it and make fun of the fact that I’ve been the Pie Guy for 25 years.
When we spoke with Seann William Scott recently, he mentioned that the kinds of R-rated comedies you both did in the late 90s and early 2000s are gone now. Do you have any ideas why we don’t see them anymore?
I don’t know exactly why, but obviously it’s a matter of money and business. The industry has changed so much over the past decade, and the people who make the big decisions about what to release want safe bets. It’s more risky, I guess – they don’t know what’s going to be successful and whether it should air instead. But for me, there’s nothing I love more than being in a packed theater seeing or hearing something that makes us all crack up in unison. But in the end, it’s not me who makes the decisions and it’s not with my money that I play.
There are always discussions about whether the first American pie could be done today, especially with scenes like the webcam sequence with Shannon Elizabeth. Should we rethink these moments now?
They should be redesigned, yes. This movie was a quarter of a century ago when we made it, and it’s a time capsule from that period, as most movies are. Here’s how much my own thinking changed: When I read this script, I remember this scene popping into my head because of the camera. I was like, “Computers have cameras?” I didn’t even own a computer at the time, so the idea of being able to put a camera on it was just mind-boggling. And now, of course, we have cameras in our hands on our phones all the time.
But yeah, that particular scene and the content of that scene couldn’t be done now and it shouldn’t be done now. It reflects the progress we’ve made as a company over the past 25 years and we know we’re thinking, “This is inappropriate.” It is and it should be, but the movie comes across as its own little time capsule – it’s a reflection of the times we lived in, like most things. I’m so proud of the film and very lucky to have been able to be part of it. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.
did you watch American pie already with your own children? How are you going to explain it when you do?
That’s a very good question; my wife and I are talking about it, but we haven’t found an approach yet. We know we want to get ahead and reveal everything to our sons before it’s revealed to them by their friends or the internet! [Biggs has two sons with his wife, Jenny Mollen.] We live where everything is so easily accessible. My only son is 9 years old, and he’s with me when people come up to me and tell me American pie. They might say, “Oh, it’s the Pie Guy!” or “I love the pie scene.” So he knows there’s something with a pie, but he doesn’t know the details yet. [Laughs]
But it’s getting harder and harder. The good news is, if I’m not comfortable talking with my sons, I could just stage the scene with Eugene Levy and myself and say, “Why don’t you watch this scene?” And Eugene could essentially speak for me to my son! Do you know what I could do? I could actually call Eugene and ask him to speak with my son. That’s the movie actually – that’s what I should be doing.
He is their grandfather in a way!
He really is. Don’t tell my dad that, it’s my favorite, of course. [Laughs]
Jennifer Coolidge recently revealed that she was roommates with Eddie Kaye Thomas after American pie came out of. Do you remember hanging out with Finch and Stifler’s mom at their house?
I’m sure yes! I remember their house exactly. I think it was during the filming of the second movie, but Eddie needed accommodation and he was looking for apartments. Jennifer told him, “I have this house.” I believe she was renting this house, but had sublet it to other people and there was an apartment that she said he could rent. And so Finch has literally rented from Stifler’s mom and they live together under the same roof for a year or maybe longer. Talk about life by imitating art! As far as I know, they didn’t have a romantic relationship, so it wasn’t a complete impersonation.
Was Jennifer the more party girl of the two?
Oh, Eddie and I did our share of partying at that time! [Laughs] I don’t know if it was a competition, but I remember Jen liked to go out and have fun. Those days were great fun for a reason. And also a little fuzzy for a reason.
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How great would that be? I would love it. My God, that would be amazing. This show is amazing, and she was perfect. I mean, Jen was brilliant in everything she did. Every role was written for her, but it was an absolute home run for her.
This month of August is the 20th anniversary of the Corker Trilogy, American wedding. Do you have fond memories of this particular film?
What I liked the most about that one was that it was the first movie of the three where we went outdoors. It wasn’t for the whole shoot, but we spent a week in San Francisco near Half Moon Bay. We all stayed at the same hotel and filmed the wedding scenes there. We had all become very close by then and this was our third straight movie together. It was just a wonderful time for us to be there. In those six years, we did three movies and it all happened very quickly, but it was also such a monumental part of our lives. I will never forget that time, ever.
American pie is currently available for rental or purchase on most VOD services.