What Happened To: The American Pie Cast

[NSL]

Except for Eugene Levy, what has happened to the American Pie cast? For three movies, they entertained us, made us laugh, and all looked to have bright futures. We all know that Tara Reid turned into the drunken coed with pepperoni nipples, and we've seen Eugene Levy continue to appear in AP movies, but that's it.

I vaguely remember seeing Shannon Elizabeth hosting some small time TV shows, but she was a beauty, and everyone thought it would eb enough to get her some roles. Seann William Scott appeared in a few mediocre movies, and then vanished. The rest of the cast is just gone.

Did the movie "typecast" them, so we wouldn't except them in any other roles, or were they simply one-hit wonders?

I think it's a blend of the two. The films centered around them leaving high school, and going to college. By the time the original three were done, they were too old to keep doing college party movies, but too young to go on to more serious roles. Hopefully we see them come back (not together obviously), because I thought they were all fine actors for their parts.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Alyson Hannigan is doing really well. How I Met Your Mother is one of the best sitcoms on television, and it's been gaining a lot of popularity through the years. She's one of the 5 main characters on the show. She does a really good job too, I didn't really care for her in the American Pie series, but I find her hysterical on HIMYM.

Seann William Scott has been pretty consistent since the American Pie series. He's been in a few really bad clunkers (Dukes of Hazzard, Mr. Woodcock), but he was the co-star of one of the funniest movies of last year (Role Models), and did voice work in two of this year's biggest animated movies (Ice Age 3, Planet 51), and he has a lead role in Kevin Smith's A Couple of Dicks next year which also stars Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan. He'll be the most successful out of everyone, I think.

Thomas Ian Nicholas, if his career trajectory pattern is any indication, will probably have another big movie (90s - Rookie of the Year, 00s - American Pie), and then disappear out of the limelight again.

Jason Biggs and Chris Klein have been relegated to direct to DVD stuff. Shannon Elizabeth is also in the direct to DVD path, but she seems to be doing really well playing poker.

Tara Reid seems to be trying to make a come a comeback, as the new spokeswoman for Blackberry.

I think in most of their cases, they just weren't really that good at acting to begin with. And yeah, I think typecasting played a huge role into their difficulty getting roles. Every time I saw Jason Biggs playing a something such as a doctor (like he did on Frasier) I had a hard time taking him seriously.

 

[X]

Like Guy said, several of the castmembers have actually been moderately successful. Alyson Hannigan has How I Met Your Mother, which is a big ratings grabber, Seann William Scott was just in Role Models last year which did very well. Shannon Elizabeth looked to have a promising career but she then fucked that up by choosing the worst possible movies to be in. She was just in a very good remake of the 80s cult classic Night of the Demons though along with Edward Furlong.

I love Thomas Ian Nicholas, and JMT knows why. His role in The Rules of Attraction cracks me the fuck up every single time. One of my absolute favorite movies. I had actually forgotten he was the kid in Rookie of the Year until Guy just mentioned it. Who knows what he'll do.

Jason Biggs...meh. He's decent. Loser was his one shot at the leading man role and that bombed. Chris Klein is actually a very talented actor, sticks mostly to the indie films these days though.

Tara Reid is just awful. Her career is going nowhere.

 

[NSL]

I know they've all been moderately successful, but for a while, those were the biggest movies out there, and you'd have thought they'd be on to bigger and better things. They certainly great works of art, but they're entertaining, and everyone played their character well.

To see Alyson Hannigan on a TV show, when she could have been another big-screen sweetheart is a little bit of a disappointment to me. American Pie and Buffy should have been enough to boost her to the next level.

 

[TLC]

Sean William Scott is doing great for himself in my opinion, a very funny man and a great actor. Allyson Hannigan is so good in How I Met Your Mother. Jason Biggs is releasing some pretty cool films, the rest of the cast ummm not really too bothered.

 

[Freddy4190]

Jason Biggs had no chance in NOT being typecast. Once you fuck a pie, you can't go back. I've seen a few of them around, of course SWS is doing his thing and doing it well. I laughed my ass off watching Role Models. That was such a good movie. Tara Reid's a recovering drunk and drug addict, Shannon Elizabeth is still pretty hot. That's about it really..

 

[jmt225]

I honestly don't know why Jason Biggs hasn't been able to escape that type casting though, Freddy. He's not a bad actor at all. I thought he did great in his roles in Jersey Girl, Prozac Nation and Anything Else. Yeah, there was a comedic aspect to each role, but I thought his dramatic stuff in all of them weren't bad at all. I still have hope that he'll get something in the future they'll lead to him getting more roles. Maybe Quentin Tarantino will cast him in something. He did mention Anything Else as one of his favorite movies.

Anyway, as far as the rest of the cast... I fucking love Sean William Scott, and he's done a BUNCH of great shit since American Pie. Southland Tales, The Rundown, The Promotion, Mr. Woodcock and Role Models were fun movies in my book, with The Rundown and Southland Tales being a couple of my favorite movies this decade. Also, he's starring in Kevin Smith's new feature, A Couple of Dicks, so there's that to look forward to as well.

Shannon Elizabeth... she's been doing poker all these years, lol. But who really cares? She's pretty hot, but she's also talentless. And her looks will deteriorate soon enough anyway. Fuck her.

Thomas Ian Nicholas... I am a HUGE fan of. X mentioned The Rules of Attraction, he was absolutely FANTASTIC in that film. Also, Rookie of the Year and The First Knight were two of my favorite movies growing up as a kid, so there's a nostalgic factor with him for me as well. But I really hope, like Biggs, he's able to get some more work over the next few years. The dude is very talented. Though, I think right now he would be best suited for a sitcom, rather than films. You know, get his name out there and then hit back the big-screen.

Tara Reid... talentless, disgusting ****e. Who gives a fuck about her? I don't.

And Chris Klein is one of the most inconsistent actors in history. He can be absolutely fabulous in something like Election (one of the greatest high school films in history, in my book), yet put on a performance like he did in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, which is probably one of the worst performances of all time by any actor, ever. So yeah, he's too hit or miss and with the Street Fighter movie now under his belt, I don't we'll ever see his career recover from that.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

John Cho has had success in starring in the Harold & Kumar series, which got good reception. He was also in the latest Star Trek movie as Hikaru Sulu and that movie got high ratings. To add more to his role achievements, he was in some good dramas like West 32nd and Better Luck Tomorrow. And now he's currently starring in the FlashForward TV series alongside Joseph Fiennes and that's pretty entertaining. He might not be as 'talented' as the other American Pie cast members, but he's a frequent face on both screens and that's better than just doing consecutive cameos.

 

[joejoe]

Good Thread but everyone forgot to mention Chris Klein was in one of the funniest movies in the past 10 years "Just Friends" His character was AWESOME.

Also the kid who played Finch in the American Pie movies is in the show "Till Death" an underrated comedy.

 

[THE SWAG]

he also did that movie with heather graham, that those guys from something about mary did the name escapes me now, but when you fist a cow in a movie it has to be talked about, where they called him a sister fucker, the name is say it isn't so funny as hell movie very underrated

 

[joejoe]

It was called "Say it isn't So" but in re watching that movie recently on Encore its a pretty bad movie and a huge let down from the awesomeness that was Theres Something about Mary.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

The woman who played "Stiflers Mom" really shocked me by being the mother in "House of 1,000 Corpses." I was watching it on DVD, trying to take it seriously, and I couldn't get past "Whoa, it's Stifler's Mom." It turned the movie into a comedy for me. As a result, in terms of typecasting, that what's-her-name will ever break away from just being known as "Stifler's Mom."

Oh, and Jason Biggs attended by Alama Mater (Montclair State University) and my all accounts was a real douche in general.

 

[Dave]

Is that so, IC?

I always thought that Jason Biggs would be a very down to Earth person. I don't know if that is because in all of the movies I have seen him, he has played the same "geeky" character and I have always been able to relate to those roles. Personally, I like Jason Biggs but I haven't seen him be in a successful lead role since the American Pie franchise left him behind. I think he is probably one of the biggest casualties from the American Pie series as all I can think of when I see him is Jim.

Personally though, I think it is Seann William Scott that has suffered the most from the movies that have made him. If you ask me, he was the only one in the movies with any real comedic talent and so far, he hasn't been able to show it. Evolution was great and Welcome To The Jungle was pretty fun. however, he has played the exact same role in every movie and it annoys the hell out of me.

However, the person who has gone missing the most is definitely Chris Klein. Where the fuck has he gone?

 

[X]

The woman who played "Stiflers Mom" really shocked me by being the mother in "House of 1,000 Corpses." I was watching it on DVD, trying to take it seriously, and I couldn't get past "Whoa, it's Stifler's Mom." It turned the movie into a comedy for me. As a result, in terms of typecasting, that what's-her-name will ever break away from just being known as "Stifler's Mom."

That's Karen Black, and actually she's had a long and well known career long before she was in American Pie, she was one of the most well-known actresses of the 1970s, specifically in the horror film genre, where she starred in many classics. She was also really well known for her drama film roles, especially in integral 70s films like Five Easy Pieces and Nashville. She was famous long before American Pie.

 

[CH David]

The woman who played "Stiflers Mom" really shocked me by being the mother in "House of 1,000 Corpses." I was watching it on DVD, trying to take it seriously, and I couldn't get past "Whoa, it's Stifler's Mom." It turned the movie into a comedy for me. As a result, in terms of typecasting, that what's-her-name will ever break away from just being known as "Stifler's Mom."

That's Karen Black, and actually she's had a long and well known career long before she was in American Pie, she was one of the most well-known actresses of the 1970s, specifically in the horror film genre, where she starred in many classics. She was also really well known for her drama film roles, especially in integral 70s films like Five Easy Pieces and Nashville. She was famous long before American Pie.

What in all the fuck am I reading? X, you should know better than that. Karen Black was not Stifler's Mom in American Pie nor was she in any of the movies period. Jennifer Coolidge was. IC I can kind of see the resemblance, but it was Jennifer Coolidge, not Karen Black in American Pie.

Now I haven't really thought about each member. I've always been a fan of Chris Klein, but haven't seen him in a whole lot of stuff lately. I guess if he has relegated to indy flicks, I may not see him too much unless I care to look them up.

Seann William Scott is who he is. I have enjoyed all of his movies since American Pie. They may not be the greatest movies, but I find them entertaining, and that is what I care about.

Alyson Hannigan is as lovely as ever. Doing well on How I Met Your Mother, as people have been saying. I don't know if I would consider it a step backwards or down. Reason being is maybe she enjoys the television series compared to movies. Who knows. I'd still say she is being successful. HIMYM is quite the popular show.

Shannon Elizabeth, pretty much has her looks. Some crappy movies that I find enjoyable, but nothing much more.

But what about Eddie Kaye Thomas? I'd say he is having a pretty successful career. Not as a huge actor, but he has been playing some good roles in what he is cast as. Plus, he was in Til Death, which I have a soft spot for.

 

[X]

Fuck me running, you're right, that isn't Karen Black. Odd, whoever the actress who played Stifler's mom was looks exactly like Karen Black. It was however Karen Black in House of 1000 Corpses, that much I know.

Brain fart.