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Posted April 5, 2012 by Betsy Cizek in Interviews
 
 

Interview with Jason Biggs and Eddie Kaye Thomas, stars of American Reunion

Along with a few other members of the press, I had the great pleasure of interviewing the stars of the new comedy American Reunion, Jason Biggs and Eddie Kaye Thomas on March 22, 2012. While the pair was in town to promote the newest entry in the American Pie series, the conversation was more like having drinks with old friends than a structured interview. As we started out with a great deal of laughing and joking around, it became evident that Jason and Eddie are a well-timed comedy team. You can also sense that they are great friends and play well off each other’s comments; as they also do in American Reunion.

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PRESS: Are you sick of talking yet?

JASON: It’s a lot easier when it’s a movie that you really like, and that your really proud of and people seem to like.

CinemaNerdz: Oh yeah, we loved it.

JASON: See, I believe you.

Jason Biggs in “American Reunion.” © 2011 – Universal Pictures.

EDDIE: When did you guys see it?

CinemaNerdz: Tuesday.

PRESS: I had to sneak in the first movie. (underage for American Pie)

EDDIE: What was the PG movie that people bought tickets for and snuck into ours?

JASON: Arlington Road. (Laughter)

EDDIE: But I do want to be clear, rated R means to be accompanied by a parent, they are allowed to see it. They just got to make sure someone’s there in case Jason’s penis gets them so bothered and they’re so traumatized that they need a shoulder to cry on, they can talk about things with their parent. That’s why the rating system works so well. Makes all the sense in the world.

CinemaNerdz: Well let’s talk about the penis in the room, how did your wife feel about that? (Laughter)

JASON: I’m counting four penises in this room, which one did you want to talk about?

CinemaNerdz: The one in question. How does your wife feel about your exposing all?

JASON: My wife…in general, she’s very happy with my penis, it’s kinda a personal question. But, overall, she’s been very happy, you know, sometimes I’m tired and can’t deliver the goods, you know sometimes it’s been a long day and I just don’t feel like it, but that’s the beauty of marriage.

Eddie Kaye Thomas in “American Reunion,” © 2012 – Universal Pictures.

EDDIE: She test drove that car before she bought it. (Laughter)

JASON: She just has to deal you know, she’s not going to go anywhere else, that I know of, I mean I am in Dearborn while she’s God knows where. No, my wife loved the idea; the scene was something that I was kind of fighting for, not fighting for; Jon (Hurwitz) and Hayden (Scholssberg) knew, it was, for me, the biggest sort of thing, was finding the quote un quote ‘pie’ scene. The amazing thing about these guys, right away, even just hearing their pitch they nailed the tone and the emotional heart of the story and of course they’re funny, the comedy was there. But I felt, once they nailed the relationships and brought it back to that feeling, the energy of the first film then I thought okay now we need, how do we start pushing again to these places, because that’s the other thing people are going to expect and so, in particular, specifically for me I was like, I think we’re missing a pie scene. So I kept pushing, and they were in agreement. So I told them you have carte blanch with me, like anything – you got a blank canvas. As long as it makes sense in the context of the film and it’s funny. Jon wrote me one day, “Would you be willing to show your….” I was like, yeah, absolutely!

EDDIE: You got the email?

JASON: Yeah, it was actually a text. Sextexting (laughter) now that I think about it, Hey Jason, would you mind if I show your penis? From Jon. Or what if my phone is like sitting out in a meeting, Jon text message….

EDDIE: Show me your balls!

JASON: So anyway, we talked about the idea, we kind of tweaked it as we went along and I was psyched! ‘Cause I felt, like yeah that makes sense, it’s funny. If done correctly this will be the pie scene and in some ways it may even be, you know…it will be talked about. It was what I was looking for, and my wife was with me through that whole sort of period, and she was in agreement so, she was psyched. My wife is a pretty open book anyway and kind of a whore herself (laughter) so it’s all good.

EDDIE: Continuing the tradition of their marriage.

JASON: Exactly. She’s not a whore, I’m kidding.

The theatrical poster for “American Reunion.”

PRESS: Will this even work for you being back with all your old friends and old cast mates?

JASON: She’s a whore…. (Laughter)

EDDIE: Yeah, I think the first movie for us, we we’re just kids, we we’re like, Oh my God, we got a movie, great. But I think a lot of producers said that was also an homage to Porky’s, Fast Times. So, as much as it’s said, “oh my you’re trail blazers,” we’re not the first people to do comedy with kids.

JASON: But maybe we did it with the most heart, if there’s any sort of thing, I feel that maybe that’s what made us stand out. But I agree with Eddie, it was cyclical. What we had going for us was timing; it had been too long since Porky’s. They were ready for this movie, at that time.

EDDIE: Stiffler’s house was the exact same house they used for the party in Can’t Hardly Wait. The same house in Pasadena, California, for the first American Pie and it’s also, the first scene where we decide we’re going to make a pact to get laid. The atrium alcove, where Sherman comes down the stairs, that is the very same hallway that Tom Cruise slid in with his underwear, and people live in that frickin’ house, they just rent it out. But to answer your question, does it feel like work? Not really, it’s insane that they pay us to do it and then not having those first few days of, “Oh hi I’m Eddie.” It’s like great, we’re back in it, and I think they pay us to have a good time and make fools of ourselves, so the idea is to make it not feel like work and so it didn’t feel like work to us, and I don’t think it feels like work to watch it.

JASON: Speak for yourself, I worked. This guy just sat around f**king counting his money in his trailer the whole time. (Laughter) I worked.

CinemaNerdz: So Jason, you did a good job as one of the Executive Producers, was that your first time and how was that?

JASON: First time in the movie world, I helped produce a TV show I did last year but it was good, truthfully it more just speaks to Seann and I and our involvement in more the developmental stages of the process. The truth is the collaborative aspects of it, everyone does that. We all kind of come in, you know, I’m not going to give Eddie any kind of executive producer credit or anything.

EDDIE: I was in my trailer counting money. (Laughter)

JASON: But you know we all come in, and that’s the beauty of these movies. We have been doing this for thirteen years, and we know these characters better than anyone, well, except for Jon and Hayden that are new to the franchise, but creepily know these characters in a way that even blew our minds. We’re really all producing this. Was I on set with a mega phone, and was I like handling the day to day?

EDDIE: They would take the mega phone away.

JASON: Yes, I was on the set with a mega phone, but they kept taking it away, which I thought was bullshit, ‘cause I thought that executive producers get mega phones. (Laughter) But no I wasn’t handling day to day operations…but I was just kind of there; I had more prostitutes in my trailer than I used to, I had more than just the other, just “actors.”

EDDIE: Something to look forward to.

JASON: Boy can dream.

CinemaNerdz: Jason, your relationship with your onscreen father, Eugene Levi, is hilarious, do you have any embarrassing moments with you own dad that you can share?

Jason Biggs and Eugene Levy in “American Reunion.” © 2012 – Universal Pictures.

JASON: Oh boy, certainly not to the extent. I do remember our sort of sex talk if you will. He gave me a ride to school one morning, maybe it was eighth grade or freshman year of high school, and you could just tell he was particularly nervous more so than usual. Usually he’s all nervous, business, so more so than usual, he’s like, okay Jason, let me give you a ride to school, time to get in the car son. I’m like son? You don’t call me son. I thought, who is this? So we get in the car and he’s like so…I’m like what the f**k is he doing. You could just tell that my mom put him [up to it] like the night before [and] was like, “Tomorrow Gary, Gary tomorrow you’re talking to Jason. Right?!” He didn’t want to. He did not want to be there. Did not want to do this, he was so uncomfortable. And as soon as he started, it was like so Jason, I just wanted to say if there’s anything, questions…so sex…. I’m just like, Dad I got it, I got it, it’s all good, thank you, I know. But there was no like, “masturbation.” I stopped it before it got there. But no, other than the time at Sizzler when he walked out of the bathroom with like a whole roll of like toilet paper stuck to his shoe and he didn’t realize it until we were out in the parking lot.

PRESS: Honestly, I saw the TV ad last night, and they’re saying this is the last slice of American Pie, you would do another one in ten years wouldn’t you?

JASON: Shit, do I have to wait that long? (Laughter) Who knows, I said, no after the first one, and I said no after the second one and then we kept doing them, so I’m not going to say no anymore.

EDDIE: Just say, no now, and then we’ll do another one.

JASON: Oh, so no, this is definitely the last one. (Laughter)

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See Jason Biggs and Eddie Kaye Thomas‘s new film
American Reunion beginning April 6th, 2012!

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Check out our interview with the writer/director team behind
American Reunion, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Scholssberg!

Betsy Cizek

Betsy Cizek

Betsy resides in Michigan. She is presently writing a novel and pursuing a Freelance writing career. It’s important to her that her writing combines sensitivity, honesty and a hint of sarcasm to create a relatable experience with the reader. Having a passion for film and an all around American pie opinion, she aspires to have the sensibility for what the average Joe might enjoy.