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In 1999, American Pie hit theaters and instantly became one of the classics of the teen comedy genre. The humor was juvenile, the characters were obnoxious, and there were plenty of tasteless moments throughout. In short: It was the type of movie that's impossible not to laugh at, no matter how sophisticated you think you are.
Since then, the franchise has spawned all sorts of sequels and spin-offs to mixed results. The perfect blend of great characters, acting, and writing made the original so memorable; however, once the cast started to abandon the series, things began to fall apart. And since the last installment of the main series, American Wedding, hit theaters in 2003, the actors all went their separate ways. Some of them went on to very lucrative careers, while others spiraled out of control for the entire world to see.
But now the series is getting some new life as the genuinely funny American Reunion is set to hit theaters nationwide tomorrow, featuring the entire original cast from American Pie. To catch you up on the cast’s whereabouts over the past few years, we've assembled a breakdown of the highlights and low-points, which we'd like to call: Reunion Rundown: What Happened To The American Pie Cast?
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TV Shows Made
TV Shows Made
The Best: There's little doubt that Alyson Hannigan’s gig as Lily Aldrin on How I Met Your Mother is the best thing that any cast member has done post-Pie. The show is smart and hilarious, and Hannigan isn’t just lurking in the background—she’s an integral part of its success.
Also, Eddie Kaye Thomas, who played Finch, lends his vocal talents to Fox’s American Dad as Steve’s overweight, slightly sociopathic friend, Barry; not to mention, he also had a prime role on HBO's unfairly cancelled How To Make It In America.
Both How I Met Your Mother and American Dad (and to a lesser degree, How To Make It In America) are simply terrific, and feature the rare competent performance from an American Pie alum.
The Rest: Chris Klein has found some success on the small screen recently thanks to a recurring role in the FX series Wilfred. Tara Reid, meanwhile, had a brief, but pretty memorable, stint on NBC’s Scrubs during the show’s peak years. Jennifer Coolidge, a.k.a. Stifler's mom, has a recurring role in CBS’s 2 Broke Girls, as well as extensive credits that include guest appearances on shows like Friends, Frasier, and Nip/Tuck.
Shannon Elizabeth was one of the contestants on the sixth season of Dancing With The Stars. Even Natasha Lyonne has enjoyed a mini renaissance on the small screen recently, with parts in Fox’s New Girl and Law & Order: SVU. In fact, the Pie stars have all fared much better on the small screen than in the movies.
Movies Made
Movies Made
Good Ones: John "MILF Guy #2" Cho may have had a relatively small part in American Pie, but he moved on to bigger and better things when he landed roles in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot and the hilarious Harold and Kumarseries. Both franchises have, combined, raked in hundreds of millions of dollars, establishing Cho as a very marketable star.
Eugene Levy is a staple within Christopher Guest’s deadpan mockumentary troupe, appearing in excellent comedies like Best In Show and A Mighty Wind, along with fellow Pieco-star Jennifer Coolidge. More recently, the team put together a skit for the Academy Awards that was pretty much the only entertaining part of the show.
Mena Suvari followed up American Pie with 1999’s Best Picture winner American Beauty, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA. This is one of the only roles that stepped outside of the comedy genre for an American Pie actor that was also critically-acclaimed.
Even Seann William Scott found himself with a hit on his hands when he starred in 2008’s Role Models along with Paul Rudd. But other than that, Scott’s career has been defined by solid performances in mediocre flicks, save for this year's brutal hockey comedy Goon.
Awful Ones: Where to begin? Jason Biggs has appeared in nothing but paltry rom-coms over the years as he has been unable to shed his pie-loving persona. The aformentioned Seann William Scott was part of that terrible Dukes Of Hazard travesty and Dude Where’s My Car? And Natasha Lyonne bottomed out and has since appeared in stinkers like Blade: Trinity and some direct-to-DVD filth.
Shannon Elizabeth’s career stopped dead after Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, and she has since moved onto crappy home video fare like 2009's horrendous Night Of The Demons remake. But worst of all, Chris Klein took part in '09's video game inspired fiasco, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. The less said about that the better.
American Pie Sequels Made: Nearly the entire original cast of American Pie showed up for American Pie 2, but from there the numbers began to dwindle. Shannon Elizabeth, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Chris Klein, and Natasha Lyonne were all absent for American Wedding, and the movie suffered greatly as a result.
The original cast, wisely, save for Eugene Levy, avoided the Pie-inspired direct-to-video spinoff movies that infected DVD store shelves. So give them props for that.
Awards
Awards Won
Eugene Levy's North Of The Border Fame: Levy is one of the most highly-decorated members of the entire American Pie cast. The man has won numerous Canadian Comedy Awards, one of which was for his work in American Pie 2. And it’s not just acting that he’s known for, either; "Jim's dad" has also been rewarded for his writing, and even won a Grammy for a song he wrote for A Mighty Wind.
Alyson Hannigan's Post-Pie Gold: Back in her Buffy The Vampire Slayers days, Hannigan won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Willow in the Joss Whedon series. And, more recently, she won a People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy Actress, honoring her performance as Lily Aldrin on How I Met Your Mother.
Seann William Scott's Claims To Fame: Scott won two Teen Choice Awards for Choice Sleazebag as a result of playing Stifler in American Pie and American Pie 2. He even shared an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss with Jason Biggs for their big smooch in American Pie 2. Hey, at least they won awards, right?
Tara Reid's Near Razzie: Last, but not least, we arrive at that venerable thespian named Tara Reid. It’s a given that she’ll never grace the stage to accept an Academy Awards any time soon, but she has come close. Kind of.
In 2004, Reid was nominated for a Razzie award for Worst Supporting Actress for her role in My Boss’s Daughter, and, again, got selected as one of the unlucky Worst Actress nominees in 2005 for Alone In The Dark. At least she's successful at failing.
Scandals
Scandals
Tara Reid's Wardrobe Malfunction: At P. Diddy’s birthday extravaganza in 2005, Tara Reid gave everybody in attendance a piece of red carpet nudity that no one has ever forgotten when her dress strap fell clear off her shoulder. We would call this a nip-slip, but there's a lot more than just nip hanging out here.
And Reid, as attentive as ever, had absolutely no clue this was happening until her petrified publicist ran to cover her up. Unfortunately, that gesture was too little, too late, as countless camera snaps made this moment of unintentional nudity an Internet phenomenon.
Jason Biggs' Prostitute Predicament: The most provocative thing that most spouses receive from their respective significant other on their birthday is usually a new tie or a nice pair of slippers. But for Jason Biggs' birthday, his wife, Jenny Mollen, got him something that would get most men clonked on the side of the head with a frying pan: a hooker.
Mollen wrote about the whole sordid tale in a column for Playboy, which included a few failed attempts with some less-than-stellar ladies of the night and a run-in with a temperamental ATM machine. In the end, she wound up spending $600 on something she could have just given to him for free herself. At least we know he’s done romancing baked goods.
Arrests
Arrests
Chris Klein's DWI's: In both 2005 and 2010, Klein was arrested for drunk driving. For most people this would be an embarrassing ordeal, but we’re pretty sure Klein was just happy to have his face on TV again.
Don't Let Natasha Lyonne Near Your Dog: In 2004, trouble magnet Lyonne was accused by her former neighbor of rushing into her apartment and threatening to sexually molest her dog. You'd think that'd be more than enough motivation to get their life together, but this was just the tip of the iceberg for an actress who, over the years, has been charged with harassment, DWI, mischief, and trespassing. At one point, she was even evicted from her apartment by none other than actor Michael Rapaport, the building's owner.
Lyonne has a rap sheet that would make a Kennedy blush, and, unfortunately, it has come at the price of her once-promising career.
Rehab Stints
Rehab Stints
Chris Klein: After his arrest for DWI, Klein checked himself into rehab for alcohol abuse in 2010. He recently stated that he has been sober for 19 months. We’re guessing that if he got sober a few years earlier, he never would have agreed to star in Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li. Thankfully, Klein seems to be on the up-and-up now, and his career is even starting to gain traction again.
Natasha Lyonne: After all of the times that Lyonne has been on the wrong end of the law, it’s not surprising that she entered the Caron Foundation, a drug and alcohol treatment center, for her substance abuse problems in 2006. She was also hospitalized at one point to treat hepatitis C and for methadone treatment. She seems to be clean now, but this is Hollywood we’re talking about, and you know how much they love sequels there.
Tara Reid: In late 2008, Reid checked herself into Promises Treatment Center in Malibu and spent 60 days at the facility. It’s not known if this was for alcohol or drugs, but at least the star claims that she went willingly, as opposed to the usual kicking and screaming of most celebrities.
Seann William Scott: We’re not sure why, but this jaunt into celebrity rehab actually surprised us. Scott plays sleazy party animal in the American Pie films, yet it was easy to imagine him as the complete opposite in real life. Well, we may have been wrong; last year, he entered a treatment facility for what his reps called “health and personal reasons.”
Hook-Ups
Famous Hook-Ups
Tara Reid's Conquests: Reid easily has the most decorated dating life of any of her American Pie cohorts. In the past, she has been linked to Fred Durst, Jeremy Shockey, Ashton Kutcher, and Tom Brady, and she once had a high-profile engagement to semi-celeb Carson Daly before it fizzled. More recently, Reid was reportedly married to a Bulgarian financier named Zack Kehayov, but it turns out that the marriage was never legal in the first place. Oops.
Alyson Hannigan's Marital Bliss: Buffy The Vampire Slayer actor Alexis Denisof is one lucky man, being that he locked Alyson Hannigan down for life in 2003. Not only is she sexy, in a geeky sort of way, but she also seems to be the most normal of the female Pie crew. The couple is currently expecting their second child.
Who Needs Pies Anyway?: After a brief fling with co-star Tara Reid, Jason Biggs finally settled down with actress/writer Jenny Mollen. Despite neither of them qualifying for Hollywood's A-list, this couple does seem to be one of the more normal ones in Hollywood. Well, besides the whole hooker thing.
How Tom Cruise Stole Chris Klein's Girl: Without a doubt, the most talked-about hook-up of the entire American Pie cast was Chris Klein’s five-year relationship with Katie Holmes. The couple even got engaged in 2003, but called it off two short years later. Not too long after, Holmes started dating Tom Cruise, who she eventually married. Score one for Scientology.
Plastic Surgery
Plastic Surgery
Jennifer Coolidge's Fountain Of Youth: It’s not easy being a MILF, and that’s why rumors have always swirled around Coolidge’s plastic surgery over the years. She seems frozen in time; just check out the picture above, from American Reunion, to see how she apparently hasn’t aged a day since the first movie hit theaters way back in 1999. If Coolidge has had some work done, it’s certainly not enough to make her look like a plastic mess. But if she is all natural, we want to be pumped full of her genes at once.
Tara Reid's Botched Boobs: Unlike Coolidge, there's no doubting Reid’s history under the knife. But it’s not because of how much more youthful and vibrant it made her look; rather, Reid is infamous for receiving both a botched tummy tuck and boob job.
And, unfortunately for her, the world saw the latter mishap up close and personal in the aforementioned P. Diddy incident. The star has since spoken candidly about the procedures, unlike most celebs who try to hide their plastic surgeries. Reid eventually got the work fixed up; now, she looks better than ever.
Non-Acting Pursuits
Non-Acting Pursuits
Shannon Elizabeth's Royal Flush: After her career cooled down post-Pie, Elizabeth dove head-first into the world of poker, participating in some of the world's biggest card events. She has played in the World Series of Poker and the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship; furthermore, at the World Team Poker Championship in 2011, held in Las Vegas Elizabeth represented Lebanon.
John Cho, Rock Star: When he’s not acting, Cho is the lead singer of an L.A. band called Viva La Union. His band’s music was, fittingly, included on the Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay soundtrack. Though we're pretty sure he had some pull on that one.
Thomas Ian Nicholas And His Guitar: Cho might have some musical chops, but Thomas Ian Nicholas, a.k.a. Kevin (the Pie films' fourth wheel), is easily the most successful musician of the bunch. As a signer/songwriter, Nicholas has released three albums and sang during the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley Field. He also has music on the American Reunion soundtrack.
Most Successful Post "American Reunion"
Predictions: Who Will Be The Most Successful Post-American Reunion?
Alyson Hannigan: With How I Met Your Mother still on the air, and reruns playing for hours at a time, Hannigan's face will be on TV for no less than two dozen hours a week throughout the foreseeable future. She can easily build off her success as the relatable Lily Aldrin by landing as many leading lady parts as she wants on the big screen. Failing that, she's also the perfect candidate to play the quirky best friend in almost any movie.
John Cho: Another Star Trek movie is hitting theaters next year, and it will undoubtedly be a box office champ. And whose face will be on all of the posters and trailers? That's right: John Cho. The franchise role of Sulu is a sweet gig for Cho that will keep his visibility at an all-time high amongst the geek and mainstream crowd. Plus, there's always more money to be milked from the Harold And Kumar franchise. We think he'll be just fine.
Jason Biggs: Call us crazy, but we're predicting that Biggs can reclaim some of that fame he had in the late '90s and experience a bit of a career revival after American Reunion hits theaters. He's the focus of the movie, as well as the highest-paid actor in it, so there are people in Hollywood that still believe in him. If he can just pick the right projects, we could be seeing a lot more of Biggs in the near future.
Seann William Scott: Personal problems and poor role choices may have derailed his progress somewhat, but, as evidenced by Scott's atypically multifaceted turn in the recently released hockey flick Goon, he clearly has the talent to remain hot for as long as he wants. Or as long as his agent keeps away from scripts akin to Mr. Woodcock and Cop Out.