Hi guys!
I’m a reddit virgin. Be gentle. But I’m so excited to talk to you guys.
My latest movie is called JUST BEFORE I GO (trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQdYb7mcpVQ) and it’s opening in select theaters in Los Angeles and New York this Friday April 24th and will be available on-demand, blu-ray and DVD on May 12th. It’s a heartwarming dark comedy about life, death and everything in between, directed by my friend Courteney Cox.
And Victoria’s helping me out over the phone. So AMA.
proof: http://imgur.com/FiKP6j4
Who was the biggest prankster on set of the American Pie films?
JASON BIGGS WITHOUT A DOUBT.
BIGGS IS BY FAR CLOSER TO STIFLER THAN ANY OF US.
Just wanted to say Evolution was a greatly under appreciated film, thanks for making it. What is David Duchovny like IRL?
First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH for digging the film.
I really liked it too.
David Duchovny is like one of my favorite people of ALL TIME. He’s one of the funniest dudes.
One of the COOLEST dudes. And I just couldn’t believe, the whole time I was working with him, like Holy shit! I’m fucking working with David Duchovny! And Julianne Moore!
But Duchovny’s just straight up badass. He’s SUPER-funny. Super cool. He just exudes being cool.
Can you tell us something about yourself that we may find surprising?
Um… hmm.
That my comfort zone is to be more of a fly-on-the-wall than the outgoing, party-animal type of characters that I’ve played. Even though I can enjoy a party just as much as the next guy.
Where on earth did you come up with the litany of insults in the American Pie movies? You’re like the Michaelangelo of swearing…
hehehe!
Holy shit.
That may be the best compliment of all time.
I gotta say… I grew up with a SUPER-funny family.
And really funny friends. And I think a really bizarre – I have a pretty bizarre, fucked-up imagination sometimes.
And we swear a lot in Minnesota.
Goodfellas or The Godfather?
HOLY SHIT THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION.
I don’t even think i can answer that! It depends on the day.
And you have to think GODFATHER 2. It’s a toss-up between GODFATHER 1 or GODFATHER 2. And GOODFELLAS. I don’t know if I could choose which movie I like more.
Maybe DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR?
I often have people compare DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR? to the GODFATHER.
And I have heard several people say recently that i was robbed for “best actor in the world awards,” the Academy Awards, they were going to make an award for my performance in that film.
But they didn’t have that in their budget. Which I think is B.S.
COUNTRY MAC!!!! How was working with those always sunny guys!!?
It was a blast.
The guys are SUPER-cool. Funny as shit.
I was just making sure that i didn’t ruin the episode, because those guys are so funny. It was like a little teaser. I only got to stay a couple days, before my work was done. But just a bunch of really cool guys (and girl). Just really funny.
How many times during the Dukes of Hazard filming did you look at Jessica Simpson’s ass?
One million and four.
Did you do any special training for the film “Goon”? Also, is it still your time?
Heh! Well, I did a bit of fight training for GOON. For GOON 2, I’ve been fight-training for the past month, and next month in May I start working with an MMA fighter, and then some skating (obviously, a lot of skating). We start shooting GOON 2 in mid-June, and if everybody does their jobs and we execute the amazing script that Jay and his co-writer wrote, the fucking movie would be wicked.
And OH SHIT! DUKES OF HAZZARD! I just got the “my time” reference!
It’s definitely my time.
Who is a better kisser Jason Biggs or Ashton Kutcher?
Will Ferrell. OLD SCHOOL. I gave him mouth-to-mouth. He’s got the lips of an angel.
How much did the el gato sell for?
Hehehehe!
It’s a priceless artifact.
You know what’s bizarre? Is that I’m remembering my dialogue from past films.
I think that’s literally the line from THE RUNDOWN.
I don’t know, but The Rock sold the Gato to… shit, now i forgot.
It’s a priceless artifact. But my guess is $10.5 million.
Has there been a role you’ve turned down and regretted?
No.
Nope.
I would say… I’ve always had to fight for parts.
So I’ve never really been offered tons? I’ve had to make the best of the opportunities I’ve been given. There’s never been a part that was offered to me that I turned down that I regretted.
Wait, I know one. You know, they offered me Superman before they went to Henry Cavill. And I kinda regret that I didn’t play Superman.
And then they offered me Batman. And I regret that I didn’t take it.
And then they offered me Spider-Man. And THEN they offered me Captain America. And then they offered me Iron-Man…
I’M JOKING!! I’m joking.
I’m joking.
If you don’t know that I’m joking, the joke’s on you.
How did you and Bruce Willis managed Tracy Morgan’s craziness in Cop Out? Was Bruce Willis mean to Kevin Smith because of this?
Oh, I LOVED working with Bruce Willis! I mean, he’s a fucking legend! It was out of control. It took a while for me to be able to focus, because i was like HOLY FUCK MAN! I’m STANDING NEXT TO BRUCE WILLIS! and Tracy Morgan is just outrageously funny. But the good thing is the scenes I had with Tracy and Bruce, I was really trying to fuck with them and make THEM laugh on-set. So I was the guy who was the motormouth, trying to make THEM laugh, because Tracy is just so insanely funny that i don’t think I could’ve kept a straight face if I hadn’t been driving the dialogue. And I fucking love Kevin. I worked with him on JAY & SILENT BOB. He’s one of the most effortlessly funny dudes on the PLANET. He’d throw out amazing jokes. I just LOVE him. So I didn’t know about anything going onset where I worked. Everybody just had a ball, because it was just fun shit.
As someone in their mid thirties, and I’m sure I speak every guy around our age, thanks for all the laughs and making Steve Stifler the most legendary role of our generation. Of all of your films what is your personal favorite, and why?
Well, first, thank you so much for the sweet words.
It means a helluva lot to me.
I would say – as opposed to favorite movie – again, I reallyreally loved the experience and final product for JUST BEFORE I GO, but in addition to that, AMERICAN WEDDING, GOON, THE RUNDOWN and ROLE MODELS would be my four other favorites.
It’s tough to pick just one favorite.
DUDE, WHAT DOES MINE SAY!?
SWEET!
What does mine say?
What happened to Ronnie from “Role models?
HAHAHA!
I don’t know!
That kid is so funny. I miss seeing him in movies. I mean, maybe he’s got like 20 movies coming out?
But all I know: it was really fun to try to tell him to say as many inappropriate things in the movie as possible.
How did the role of Stifler influence your life?
Well, it changed EVERYTHING.
It changed my whole life, and my family’s lives… if I had never gotten that part, there’s probably a good chance that I wouldn’t have gotten ANY parts, knowing how competitive the movie business is.
So the fact that I got Stifler in AMERICAN PIE, and that movie did so well, it was just a dream come true. You know?
To be in films… to try to make people laugh… to try to give people a chance within an hour and a half to just laugh and have fun and not stress out and kinda get away from the real world of reality… it’s just a complete dream come true.
What are your top five favourite movies of all time?
OHhhhhhh.
It’s almost – write this – I am – I became an actor because I love, love, LOVE movies.
I’m a cinephile to the core of my being.
And so it’s SO HARD for me to pick my top 5 favorite movies.
I could almost say top 20. But top 5, they’re interchangeable. But I’ll give you 5 of my favorite films.
I would have to say…
- THE INHERITANCE, by Per Fly.
- TALK TO HER, by Almodóvar
- BETTY BLUE
- OPEN HEARTS by Susanne Bier
- CHOPPER. It’s one of my favorite movies, actually!
But all of these are interchangeable! I could think of 5 other ones! But these 5 are the ones that are on top of my head right now, of my top 25.
What’s your favourite cheese?
My favorite cheese?!
Ooooh.
My favorite cheese.
Oh boy.
This is serious.
This is probably the most serious question I’ve been asked in my life.
Hold on a second, let me think, let me do some cheese research here.
I know this.
Here we go!
MANCHEGO.
I love Manchego. I also love Manchego. Because I’m going to name my first child “Manchego.”
How did you come to the role of Crash in Ice Age?
That was a movie that they offered to me. I think they were like Wait, that jackass from AMERICAN PIE, I could hear his voice being a possum!
And it was as easy as that, pretty much! And little do all the little kids know, that the actor’s voice they are watching ICE AGE played a character who drank a beer with semen in it in his first movie…
Favorite bands?
That’s a tough one.
Rolling Stones – clearly, without a doubt, favorite band.
And geesh – Radiohead. I like Ryan Adams, with an R.
That’s a tough one too. But i have so many. I listen to quite a bit. I’d say even Edith Piaf is one of my favorite musicians.
Nobody thinks that the guy that made out with Ashton Kutcher would have a classic French singer as one of their favorite musicians!
What’s it been like working on the American Pie films? And would you be up for a follow up to American Reunion?
It’s IMPOSSIBLE to describe how much fun, and it was such a dream come true to not only just be in a film, but to have a career because of a certain franchise – those films for me… just the chance to have gone back four times in the four AMERICAN PIE movies, to shoot a movie and spend time with the guys I started my career with is too special to find words to do justice. But i just fucking LOVE that character. He’s so fun, so funny, and to be able to build that character from where you don’t really know him that much in the first movie, and then you realize that during the franchise, he’s a big sweetheart – he gets things wrong, but ultimately, he’s a pretty good guy- the movies were toomuch fun.
I think AMERICAN REUNION was the perfect bookend for the franchise – especially for Stifler, he got the biggest revenge hooking up with Finch’s mom, I almost feel like he should walk away like Keyser Söze in USUAL SUSPECTS. Like that. He’s gone.
But if it made sense, and there was an awesome script, and people wanted to see that – I’d play that part. I think Stifler’s funnier, the older he gets.
What’s your favorite cereal?
Cookie Crisp. With milk.
I remember in highschool my buddies and I watched a film you were in, Southland Tales, it was very different but awesome. Any good experiences/stories from filming?
Well, first of all, THANK YOU so much for watching it and liking it and letting me know!
I would just say that movie was wicked. Because it was just a weird one. The same director & writer as DONNIE DARKO. And every day, there’s tons of cool different actors, lots of comedians playing these kind of bizarre parts. I’d say one of my favorite parts was working with The Rock again. We worked on THE RUNDOWN together, and we got to team up again on a completely different movie, so that was one of the highlights for me.
Big fan here. Really looking forward to Goon 2. So I’m curious, who’s your pick for the Stanley Cup? And, out of all your characters, who do you think would win in a brawl?
Heh! Oh, I don’t know about who’s going to win the Stanley Cup. I’m going to hold off on that. And DEFINITELY Doug Glatt, for sure. He could beat the shit out of most people.
I can keep a secret. What’d you do on 4/20?
SHIT! I didn’t get to celebrate it, I’ll tell you that much! I was doing press!
Had I celebrated, you would have seen me at the premiere for JUST BEFORE I GO, last night, and you would have known, by looking at the photos, if I had celebrated.
Hint: red eyes.
Favourite book? Or what are you currently reading? Or both?
I just finished the Kurt Wallander series. I just finished the last book of the series, and I’m depressed, because I fucking loved it so much. I love Scandinavian crime thrillers. So Jo Nesbø is one of my favorites. J. M. Coetzee is one of my favorites. Arguably one of my favorite books would be “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”
I love to read.
I’m catching up for not reading much in school.
What’s the weirdest job you ever had?
You know… it’s funny you bring up the State Fair, Wisconsin girl, that’s awesome.
The weirdest job I ever had… I worked at Scientific Revolution, at Universal City Walk, wearing a lab coat, and selling boomerangs and glow-in-the-dark stars, and Bill Nye the Science Guy puzzles.
I think it would’ve been a sweet job, but I just felt like an asshole. Because everybody kept asking me serious science questions, and I was like “DUDE, if i was a serious scientist, do you think I’d be selling glow-in-the-dark stars?!?”
When you first sat down to read The Promotion how hard did you laugh? How did you land the role of Doug Stauber? Would you work on any Steve Conrad-related material again if the opportunity arises?
GREAT question. I’ve actually been developing a project with Steve Conrad for the past year that will hopefully be announced in maybe a month. I love him. I love his writing. I find it SO fresh, so original. It’s a combination of – he’s got such a completely different voice in his films, especially in his scripts, if you can get ahold of the scripts he’s written, whether it’s original like THE WEATHER MAN, or WALTER MITTY, he’s got such an incredible imagination and voice. But THE PROMOTION I loved right off the bat. And I was lucky Steve’s brother really liked me in AMERICAN PIE, and spoke very highly of me. So when I met with Steve, he had an open mind, and gave me a chance to play a character that was a bit different than what I’d done in the past. And then he just committed to it.
My name is Sean. How many fucked up ways have people pronounced your first name throughout your life? I’ve heard it pronounced “Seen” more times than I can count.
Yep! I’ve heard… “See-Anne.” I’ve gotten “See-Anne” a few times, and I just went with it.
Of all the roles that you have had, which is your favorite?
Hmmmmm.
That’s a tough one.
I would say… I really loved the part in JUST BEFORE I GO… but my favorite is obviously Stifler. The thing about that character is that you can just get away with so much. You can do so many things with that part. Love it.
What is your favourite videogame?
Oooh, I’m going to lose some people here.
I haven’t played a video game in years. It’s just I’m so out of the loop. I keep hearing about all these awesome games. And I don’t know how to operate an app on my iPhone. I’m just that much of an idiot when it comes to technology. So I’m going to hold a controller for a video game and try to answer it like my phone. I don’t know if I have the skill.
What’s your best pick-up line that always work? For funsies, what line always gets you slapped?
Over the years, I’ve been able to figure out which lines to avoid getting slapped with.
So…this is a line that always gets the ladies. I go up to them and say “It must be raining outside, because you OBVIOUSLY stepped into a big puddle of gorgeous.”
What is your favourite Stifler line in American Pie?
There’s a couple.
One would have to be “I’m going to hang out with my wang out, I’m going to rock out with my cock out.”
I am a big fan (maybe the only one) of Southland Tales. My question is, what was your experience like working on the film? What is your take on the final result given all the cuts and production hiccups along the way?
Well, thank you for watching it and liking it.
I personally really really responded to the final product.
I thought it was weird… and beautiful… and bizarre… and I loved Richard Kelly (the director). And i love that he committed to the story he wanted to tell. He had a vision, and whether or not people responded to it, he was going to make the movie he wanted to make. And I found, since that movie came out, that over the years, the people that I’ll meet doing interviews, the serious movie people really really respond to that movie. As time’s gone on, they’ve kinda dug that movie. And if you watch that movie NOW, it actually has WAY MORE that’s relevant -the California water, the drought, this was before the Patriot Act – so you watch how the government was able to tap into the phones – I’m pretty sure that it was before we really started to understand the Patriot Act, understanding all these things. So I really quite like the movie. And my character becomes the Messiah at the end, so how can you hate that?
I know that it is just a role, but are there any similarities between you and Stifler?
Hmmm.
I would say the only REAL similarity – other than trying to make my friends laugh – is that I am a HUGE instigator of trouble. But the majority of that character I took from the friends i went to high school with. So in a way, I think aLOT of guys are like Stifler. I mean, not all of that character, but there’s a little bit of Stifler in most boys (and girls) I think.
Dude, where’s my car? But seriously, what was it like working with the crew on It’s Always Sunny? They seem like good people in real life despite their characters.
EXACTLY IT.
The guys are just… they’re friends, you know? You can get a sense of them all being close, and like, really genuine, good friends? But they’re serious guys too. They write the show. They know that they want the quality of the show to be great, and consistent. So it was fun to watch them, you know, work. But they’re just really great, great guys. Down to earth. I came away from the experience feeling like that would be a lot of fun, to find an amazing project like that, where you can work with the same group of people that you like for so long. I kinda did that with AMERICAN PIE, but it’s not the same, just with the number of episodes and working with the guys for so long.
We’ve all heard the stories about your American Pie co-star Tara Reid. What is she really like?
Tara’s one of the sweetest, just most down to earth girls you could know.
I don’t know anything other about Tara, other than her just being a really great girl. I really adore her. She’s a really sweet, sweet girl.
