The Cast Of American Pie What They Look Like Today Vs. The Movie
Throughout the years there's been plenty of teen movies about love. Some were sappy and dramatic, while others had audiences bursting with laughter. In 1999, a small comedy movie named American Pie was released and would go on to become a box-office success.
American Pie follows a group of five high-school friends, who seek to lose their virginity before graduation. Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, and Eddie Kaye Thomas made up the group of friends. While Alyson Hannigan, Tara Reid, and Shannon Elizabeth portrayed the men's prospective love interests. Throughout the film, chaos ensues as the guys flirt with the women and try to complete their goal as graduation day looms.
The eclectic cast along with the jokes made American Pie a hit with audiences. Teens could relate to the high-school angst that the characters went through, plus the comedic hijinks were enough to keep audiences coming back for more. The film would go on to earn more than $200 million dollars at the box-office. Its success was so huge that it produced three sequels and four direct-to-video spinoffs. American Pie also helped launch the careers of most of its cast. Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, and Alyson Hannigan would go on to have steady careers in Hollywood.
With its 20-year anniversary coming up, it's time to take a look back at the American Pie cast and how they've changed since the movie's release.
15 Natasha Lyonne: Personal Setbacks Almost Derailed Her Career
When it comes to tormented teens, nobody portrays them better than Natasha Lyonne. One of her first big roles came in the 1998 film Slums of Beverly Hills. The next year, she landed the role of Tara Reid's friend in American Pie. With two back-to-back hit movies, it looked like Natasha was on her way to fame.
Yet, a string of setbacks put a halt on her acting career. She suffered legal issues, which included an arrest and rehab. But that wasn't the end of Natasha's troubles. The star was also dealing with a heart infection, which caused to undergo open heart surgery.
Today, Natasha is happy and healthy, and already staging a comeback. Her role as Nicky Nichols on Orange Is the New Black earned the actress critical acclaim along with a slew of award nominations.
14 Mena Suvari: Continues To Act And Model
In the late 90s, teen actress Mena Suvari was trying to get a jumpstart on her career. Like many actresses, she did television guest spots before landing her big break with American Pie. Her role as Chris Klein's girlfriend gained the audience's attention. After the movie, Mena went on to have a good film career with parts in Sugar & Spice, Rumor Has It, Beauty Shop, and Factory Girl.
Aside from acting, Mena has also worked steadily as a model. She's a spokeswoman for the cosmetics company Lancome and she's been featured in many high-profile fashion magazines. Aside from acting and modeling, Mena is also an advocate for numerous charities, including the “Circle of Friends” program, which aims to educate kids about the dangers of smoking.
13 Eugene Levy: Comedian Gained New Fans With American Pie
Eugene Levy was already an established comedian and actor before American Pie. Longtime fans of the comedian remember him best from the show SCTV. The show had a successful 8-year run and earned Levy a string of awards. After the show's end, Levy embarked on a movie career, which earned him only cameo spots. But it wasn't until American Pie when he gained a new legion of fans.
His role as Jim's naïve father drew in a younger generation of fans, while also reminding his older fans of their love of the comedian. The success from American Pie caused Levy to gain more roles, which include Bringing Down The House, A Mighty Wind, and Finding Dory. Currently, the comedian is starring on the show Schitt's Creek, which airs on the Pop channel.
12 Jennifer Coolidge: Stifler's Mom Became A Comedy Queen
Like many celebrities, Jennifer Coolidge was struggling in the early stages of her acting career. Despite her gorgeous looks and talent, Coolidge could only land small parts on television and movies. Yet, all it took was one big role for her to earn stardom. Thanks to her portrayal as Stifler's mom, Jennifer Coolidge set in motion a career as a comedic actress.
One of her big roles after American Pie was starring alongside Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde. She would then go on to star in more films such as A Mighty Wind, Best In Show, A Cinderella Story, and Date Movie. In 2012, she became a permanent cast member on the CBS show 2 Broke Girls by playing Sophie, Max and Caroline's neighbor.
At the age of 56, Jennifer has shown no signs of slowing down and continues to maintain a steady career. Her most recent role was doing a voiceover in The Emoji Movie.
11 Alyson Hannigan: Found Success With Television
Before being cast in American Pie, Alyson Hannigan was already a star with her role as Willow on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. But American Pie helped make her a movie star. Playing the love interest of Jason Biggs, Alyson proved she had the quirky and comedic chops to put up with Biggs' character.
She would go on to star in a few more films before making a return to television in 2005 with the popular CBS show How I Met Your Mother. For nine years, Alyson entertained audiences with her portrayal of Lily Aldrin. Fans loved her dynamic with onscreen husband Jason Segel, and their characters Marshall and Lily become one of television's most popular couples.
When she's not acting, Alyson and her husband Alexis Denisof lead a quiet life away from the Hollywood spotlight with their two daughters.
10 Shannon Elizabeth: Played Ashton Kutcher's Girlfriend
Former model Shannon Elizabeth shot to fame as Nadia in the American Pie movies. Her role as the gorgeous exchange student Nadia gained the attention of everyone. Shannon would go on to star in more comedies such as Scary Movie, Tomcats, and Johnson Family Vacation. She even guest-starred on That 70's Show by playing Brooke, the girlfriend of Ashton Kutcher's character.
These days Shannon has left the big city lights of Hollywood in favor of a serene life in Cape Town, Africa. She does occasionally make appearances on television and small budget movies. Currently, she's starring on the celebrity edition of the CBS reality show Big Brother.
Aside from her acting, Shannon is also an activist and works with numerous animal charities, a cause near and dear to her heart. She's also a huge poker player.
9 Tara Reid: Former Party Girl Is Making Trying To Make A Comeback
Blonde beauty Tara Reid rose to fame in her role as Vicky in the American Pie franchise. Following the success of the film, Tara was on her way to stardom with roles in Van Wilder and My Boss's Daughter. Yet, like many stars, Tara got hooked on the Hollywood nightlife. She became known as a party girl and her reputation caused many executives not to hire her.
Aside from her party girl reputation, Tara also made headlines with her botched surgery. When photos surfaced of Tara on the beach, people noticed how her stomach looked deformed. She later admitted that the doctor botched her liposuction, but she was undergoing a procedure to correct it.
In 2013, Tara began her journey to a comeback thanks to the television movie Sharknado. The campy sci-fi movie became a hit with audiences and spawned four sequels.
8 Thomas Ian Nicholas: Child Star Continues To Act
Like a few other actors, Thomas Ian Nicholas got his start as a child actor. Fans may remember him best from the films Rookie of the Year or A Kid in King Arthur's Court. Years later, Thomas would land his biggest role as Kevin Myers in American Pie. He would go on to reprise the role in the film's three sequels.
Since then, Thomas continues to act. He's gone on to star in a string of independent movies such as Stealing Sinatra, The Chicago 8, and Walt Before Mickey. His most recent movie Living Among Us was released in early 2018. Aside from acting, he's also become a musician and tours with his group the Thomas Nicholas Band.
When's he not on the road, Thomas spends his downtime with his wife Colette and their two children.
7 Eddie Kaye Thomas: Became A Hit With Scorpion
Eddie Kaye Thomas began his acting career as a child by landing small parts on television shows. But it was American Pie that helped him find the most success. His role as Finch became memorable with audiences. Finch's relationship with Stifler's mom became one of the breakout storylines in the film's franchise.
After the success of American Pie, Eddie continued to act. He reunited with Pie co-star John Cho in the Harold & Kumar movies. But television would prove to be Eddie's biggest breakthrough. He had a supporting role on alongside Brad Garrett on the Fox show 'Til Death. He also does the voice of Barry, Steve Smith's friend on the animated series American Dad. In 2014, he was cast as Toby in the CBS series Scorpion, which has become one of the network's top shows.
6 Chris Klein: Heartthrob Had Heart Broken By Katie Holmes
Chris Klein became a teen heartthrob thanks to his American Pie role. Just like his co-star Seann William Scott, this was Klein's second film role. Prior to that he played Reese Witherspoon's rival in the high-school comedy Election.
Following American Pie, Chris went on to have success with movies such as Here On Earth and Rollerball. As his professional life was taken off, Chris found love with actress Katie Holmes. The two dated for three years before becoming engaged in December 2003. However, their engagement was short-lived. The couple broke in the spring of 2005 and Katie would go on to marry Tom Cruise.
As for Chris, he found happiness with his wife Laina Rose with whom he married in August 2015. Their son Frederick was born a little more than a year later.
5 Seann William Scott: Earned Success With Second Film Role
Seann William Scott's portrayal of Stifler was one of the highlights of American Pie. Scott proved to be a comedic genius as audiences watched Stifler get into trouble. But what fans don't know is that it was Seann's second film role.
Two years before American Pie, Seann made his film debut in Born Into Exile, which was a made for TV film. But his big break came thanks to American Pie. The film catapulted Seann into stardom.
Seann went on to have a steady career by starring in a string of comedies including Road Trip, Dude, Where's My Care, The Rundown, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Role Models. He's also done voiceover work for the animated family movies Ice Age, in which he plays the Clash the opossum.
4 Jason Biggs: Dorky Character Made Him A Star
Jason Biggs won over fans with his portrayal of dorky teen Jim Levenstein. The scene with Biggs and an apple pie has become one of the most iconic moments in cinema history. After American Pie, Jason Biggs would go on to play lovable dorky characters in comedy films such as Loser, Saving Silverman, and My Best Friend's Girl.
In 2013, Jason switched from films to television when he was cast to play Taylor Schilling's boyfriend Larry Bloom on the hit Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. He along with the rest of the cast would win a SAG Award in 2015 for their outstanding performances.
When Biggs isn't busy filming, he enjoys his downtime with his wife, actress Jenny Mollen and their two sons.
3 Chris Owen: Now Works A Regular Job
Prior to American Pie, Chris Owen starred in another teen movie. In 1995, he played the best friend of the title character in the movie Angus. Four years later, he went from lovable best friend to school bully by playing the nemesis Sherminator in America Pie. After the movie, Owen went on to land small parts in National Lampoon's movies along with guest roles on shows such as Criminal Minds and Monk.
Unfortunately, Chris never found the big-time success like his co-stars. With his acting career slowing down, Owen took a job as waiter at a California restaurant. Despite the career setback, that hasn't deterred Owen's love of acting. He occasionally pops up onscreen whenever the right role calls for it.
2 John Cho: Went On Adventures With Kumar
John Cho has a bit part in American Pie as one of the many high-school friends of the group. He showed that he had a humorous side and soon Hollywood was casting him in many of their comedies. His biggest role came when he played Harold Lee in the hit film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Although, he's known for mostly comedies, Cho got a chance to show off his dramatic side when he was cast as Sulu in the Star Trek movies.
Aside from acting, John Cho is a singer. He performs in the rock band Viva La Union, and most of their music has been used in Cho's films. When he's not busy acting or performing with his band, John Cho enjoys being a family man. The actor married his wife Kerri in 2006 and together they have two kids.
1 Casey Affleck: Small Role Would Launch Oscar Winner's Career
What many fans of American Pie don't know is that Casey Affleck had a small role in the film. The actor played the older brother of Thomas Ian Nicholas' character. While the role was small, it did help in Casey's resume. The younger Affleck would go on to have a successful career like his brother Ben. He co-starred in the Ocean's Eleven movies along with Gone Baby Gone, and Tower Heist.
His biggest role came in 2016, he got the lead role in the film Manchester by the Sea. The film was a critical success and Casey earned acclaim for his role. In 2017, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Who knew that one bit part in a teen comedy would help launch the career of a future Oscar winner.