Seann William Scott's Transformation From American Pie To Today
He's plied his trade in a variety of different genres since he burst onto the scene back in the late '90s, but Seann William Scott will always be known for his turn as the obnoxious Steve Stifler in the hit teen comedy "American Pie." While a lot of actors come to hate their breakout role due to typecasting, that's not the case with Scott, who still has a soft spot for The Stifmeister.
"I just love that character," Scott told Us Weekly in 2023 before going on to reveal that he wouldn't say no to reprising the role if the right opportunity came along. "I think that could be really fun to see that character again, but it'd have to be, like, a perfect script," he said.
The fact that Scott is open to the idea of playing Stifler again will come as music to the ears of "American Pie" fans, but even if he doesn't, there are plenty of other places you can see the actor in action. The Minnesota native has played plenty of other memorable characters in the years since "American Pie" first hit cineplexes, and he's been through quite the transformation in that time.
American Pie launched Seann William Scott's career
In "American Pie," Steve Stifler is a provider of advice and wisdom for a bunch of teenage boys who make a pact to lose their virginity before they graduate, a task that proves to be more difficult than they anticipate. He's the character that fans love to quote, and Seann William Scott became the face of the franchise as a result. The first "American Pie" film kickstarted a franchise and put Scott on the Hollywood map, something he'll always be grateful for. "It gave me the opportunity to take care of my family," he once told HuffPost.
Scott went on to star in three "American Pie" sequels, the most successful of which was "American Pie 2" — released in 2001, it made over $45 million on its opening weekend and went on to pull in more than $145 million over the course of its run. While the "American Pie" films are often written off as toilet humor, some of them have managed to stand the test of time better than others, and Stifler remains a fan favorite. "Steve Stifler is one of the most funny movie characters of the last 25 years," Redditor u/RShneider said after watching "American Reunion" in 2021.
Scott had to fight for his role in Final Destination
In "American Pie," Seann William Scott plays the arrogant jock-type so well that it almost stopped him from landing the role of Billy Hitchcock in 2000's "Final Destination." Speaking to Digital Spy, producer Craig Perry revealed that it was always the plan to have Scott in the film. "We knew that once 'Pie' came out, he was going to be a big star and we'd benefit from his presence in the movie," Perry said. However, director James Wong felt that Stifler was so different to Billy that viewers wouldn't buy Scott in the role.
According to Scott, he had to convince Wong to let him take the role of Billy. Fortunately, it didn't take very long to bring him around to the idea. In a Yahoo! interview, Scott explained that he just had to be himself with Wong, because at his core he's a pretty dorky guy, which is exactly what the filmmakers wanted for Billy. "He probably spent two minutes with me and was like, 'He's definitely a dork. You're hired buddy,'" Scott said.
Scott became a comedy star in the early 2000s
The year 2000 was a great one for comedy. Films like "Meet the Parents" and "Scary Movie" dominated the box office and gave audiences some good laughs. While Seann William Scott was branched out with "Final Destination" this year, he proved that his bread and butter was still comedy with turns in "Dude, Where's My Car?" and "Road Trip." Though neither film was among the top five highest-grossing comedies of the year, they both made big bucks and confirmed that Scott was a box office draw.
At one point, a sequel to "Dude, Where's My Car?" (titled "Seriously Dude, Where's My Car?") was on the card, but it never came to fruition. "I think the title alone is hilarious enough to make the movie," Scott told Screen Rant in 2023, adding that he "would love to work with Ashton [Kutcher] again." Despite generally negative reviews, the original actually made over $100 million at the box office, and studios continued to court Scott into the early 2000s. He began to blend comedy with other genres in films like "Bulletproof Monk," a kung fu collab with Hong Kong action star Chow Yun-fat, and the sci-fi romp "Evolution," which featured the likes of David Duchovny and Julianne Moore.
Scott worked with some of the comedy giants of the day
One film that stands out from this period in Seann William Scott's career is 2003's "Old School," a big hit from the so-called Frat Pack. Directed by Todd Phillips (who would go on make the smash hit DC movie "Joker"), it's a film about a bunch of 30-somethings who try to get their recently single friend back on his feet by starting a fraternity. Scott's part was small compared to stars Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Will Ferrell, but one memorable scene he filmed with the latter helped the movie become a cult favorite.
When Frank (Ferrell) accidentally shoots himself in the neck with tranquilizer gun belonging to Peppers (Scott), all hell breaks loose. Speaking to Michael Rosenbaum about the iconic scene during an appearance on his "Inside of You" podcast, Scott revealed that he was terrified to mess up in front of Ferrell, who improvised some of the funniest lines. "The good thing was that my character is entertained," Scott said. "If I had to play it straight it would have been impossible."
Scott landed a dream role in The Dukes of Hazzard
By the mid-2000s, Seann William Scott was riding high in the entertainment industry. He had worked with some big stars, he had risen to stardom himself, and he had been a part of two franchise-starting films in "Final Destination" and "American Pie." In 2005, he took on his next big role, that of Bo Duke in "The Dukes of Hazzard." The road comedy, based on the television show of the same name, also featured stars like Johnny Knoxville as Luke Duke, Jessica Simpson in her acting debut, and Hollywood icon Burt Reynolds.
Landing a role in the big screen reboot of "The Dukes of Hazzard" was a huge moment for Scott, who was a massive fan of the show growing up. "I had the shirts and maybe the lunch box," he told Hollywood.com while promoting the movie. "I was just obsessed with the show. That was one of the shows I watched every Friday at 8:30. I was a huge fan." He was clearly very excited to be part of the project, though, sadly, his enthusiasm wasn't matched by the critics: "The Dukes of Hazzard" scored a damning 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, where it's described as "A dumb, goofy, and vacuous adaptation of a TV show where plot is simply an excuse to string together the car chases."
Scott's work with The Rock is all down to Stifler
Seann William Scott has worked with Dwayne Johnson on three movies: The 2003 action comedy "The Rundown," the 2006 dystopian thriller "Southland Tales," and the 2009 animated film "Planet 51." When they first teamed up for "The Rundown," Johnson was still best known for his career as a professional wrestler, with his only movie part being that of the Scorpion King in the "Mummy" franchise. Nobody knew that he was set to become a huge star in Hollywood — nobody, that is, apart from Seann William Scott.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2019, Scott revealed that he knew right away that Johnson was destined for big things in Tinseltown. "He is the hardest-working guy I've ever met, but also how much he gives and loves, and what he does for people and charities," Scott said. "He's just the most special, incredible guy — and then also he's outrageously talented. I'm just not surprised [he's a star]." As it turns out, their friendship and working relationship only came about because of Stifler.
When the producers of "The Rundown" were trying to find the perfect co-star for Johnson, they initially imagined somebody like Chris Tucker or Ben Stiller in the role. "All these names [were] thrown out there and then I'll never forget, at the end of the meeting one of the executives said, 'What about Seann William Scott?'" Johnson told Tribute. "At that time I didn't know who he was. I said, 'Who is Seann William Scott?' They said, 'Stifler, from American Pie,' and I said, 'Oh, that's one of my favorite movies. I love it. I think he's great. Very funny.'"
Scott is very proud of the Ice Age movies
2009's "Planet 51" was not Seann William Scott's first rodeo when it comes to voice acting: He had already experienced success in this area thanks to his role as Crash in the "Ice Age" franchise. His voice can be heard in several "Ice Age" projects spanning a decade, from 2006 to 2016, including four feature films, two television specials, and a video game. Crash is an opossum whose rambunctious antics are encouraged by his best friend and twin brother, Eddie. The two characters first appear in "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown."
According to Scott, Crash is actually very similar to Stifler in that he never seems to grow out of his immature ways throughout his various sequel appearances. "Crash hasn't changed a whole lot," Scott told Flicks and Bits (via Digital Spy) while promoting 2012's "Ice Age: Continental Drift," the fourth big screen installment in the franchise. "He's still a thrill seeker, he's still looking to have a good time and party." He went on to say that he's "really proud" of the "Ice Age" movies and that it's nice to be able to "show the world my sweet side with them."
Courteney Cox helped Scott overcome typecasting
Though he had already done a couple of semi-serious roles, Seann William Scott took a big step away from being purely a comedy star with the 2014 film "Just Before I Go." He plays Ted Morgan, who is down on his luck and decides that life isn't worth living. Before killing himself, he heads back to his hometown to reconcile a few things he feels he needs closure on. Directed by former "Friends" star Courteney Cox, "Just Before I Go" helped Scott shed the fun-loving jock typecast that had followed him around for so many years, giving him a chance to dive deeper into a meaty role.
"In the beginning, I was really keen on trying to do dramatic work because that's what I always wanted to do, but I just kept getting comedies," Scott told Variety during the film's promotional run. "It was rewarding to play pretty much the antithesis of what I've done in the past." Other dramatic roles would follow: Scott went on to star in the 2018 psychological horror film "Bloodline," in which he plays a social worker who helps troubled teens, and the following year he appeared in the drama-thriller "Already Gone," a film about a teen who runs away with the girlfriend of his abusive father.
Scott entered a golden period in the late 2000s
Though Seann William Scott dedicated a lot of time to the "Ice Age" franchise after joining it, he still made room to appear in live-action comedies. In fact, he churned out two of his most critically acclaimed films during this period of his career: 2008's "Role Models" and 2011's "Goon," which have scores of 77% and 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively. The former — a film about two less than reputable guys who get sentenced to 150 hours of community service — benefitted from hilarious turns by Scott and his co-star Paul Rudd. "I can honestly say this is one of the funniest movies I've made," Scott said at the time (per Deseret News). "I crack up just thinking about some of the things we got away with in it."
"Role Models" was arguably Scott's best movie when it came out, but it was overtaken by "Goon." The ice hockey comedy, in which Scott plays an enforcer with a strong jaw and a heart of gold, surprised a lot of people. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com called it "an unexpected joy" of a film that is "anchored by a great performance from Seann William Scott," while IndieWire reviewer Oliver Lyttelton hailed the "career-best performance from Scott." Fans were equally as blown away by Scott's turn as Doug "The Thug" Glatt, with one Redditor calling it "one of the most under appreciated comedic roles in recent years."
Making the jump to the small screen
Seann William Scott actually made his acting debut on the small screen, playing a surfer named Moondoggie in the '90s sitcom "Unhappily Ever After." He landed the role of Stifler a few years later and became a movie star, leaving the world of television behind. Scott returned to TV in 2013 with a cameo in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and then again in 2016 when he secured a main part in "Lethal Weapon," based on the popular action movie franchise of the same name. He took over as Martin Riggs (the character played by Mel Gibson in the movies) when original actor Clayne Crawford was fired from the show for alleged bad behavior on set. "Lethal Weapon" was canceled after Season 3 and Scott returned to movie work, though he wasn't done with television.
In 2022, Scott signed on to appear in the mockumentary sitcom "Welcome to Flatch," a remake of the British show "This Country." He took on the role of Father Joe, a pastor in the fictional town of Flatch. "One of the things with 'Welcome to Flatch' was that I wasn't really looking to play a lead character — I wasn't looking to be on set 16 hours a day," Scott told the New York Post. "I wanted to spend more time with my family. And when I heard [Father Joe] was a former lead singer of a spiritual boy band, I was like, 'I'm in. Oh, that's the guy.'" As is often the case with American remakes of British shows, "Welcome to Flatch" just isn't as good as the original. It only lasted for two seasons before Fox pulled the plug due to low ratings.
Scott went full villain in The Wrath of Becky
Seann William Scott proved that he could play a very convincing villain in the critically acclaimed 2023 film "The Wrath of Becky," a sequel to 2020's "Becky." The follow-up sees Becky (Lulu Wilson) trying to rebuild her life a few years after she narrowly escaped a violent attack on her family. However, when a group of men break into her home, attack her and her friend Elena, and steal their beloved dog, Becky makes it her mission to hunt them down. Scott plays Darryl, the leader of an extremist group called the Noble Men, who are angered by Becky's retaliation to their misogyny.
Scott was drawn to the movie by the opportunity to play a different kind of character, as he explained to Screen Rant ahead of the film's release. "To finally get a chance to at least kind of experiment and have some fun and take risks is really creatively fulfilling," he said. "I'm excited for people to see me do something a little different, but more than anything, I just loved the movie." Scott was right to be excited — critics and audiences loved the film, which has an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the best-reviewed film of his career to date.
Does this mean that Scott is leaving the comedy game behind for good? Not at all. In May 2023, Ain't It Cool News asked the actor what was next for him, and he revealed that he's making a romantic comedy called "The Last Bachelor." He said: "It's a really, really funny R-rated comedy. I haven't done an R-rated comedy in a while and I've never done a romantic comedy, so this should be fun."