Seann William Scott, best known for playing the crude jock Stifler in the American Pie franchise, reflects on his career shift from comedy to horror and his new role as a father. The 49-year-old actor, who defined millennial comedy with films like Dude, Where's My Car? and Road Trip, admits he never cared about money and would have done American Pie for free. 'I never really thought of Stifler as being dumb,' he says. 'I saw him more as somebody who just wanted to be loved.'
Scott notes the decline of R-rated comedies in theatres, with the last one he made being American Reunion in 2012. 'Why don't they make comedies any more?' he asks. 'There's great comedy on television, but maybe R-rated comedies in theatres are kind of done?' Despite this, he remains grateful for his early success and now focuses on smaller projects that allow him to spend time with his five-year-old daughter.
His latest film, Dolly, is a slasher movie inspired by classics like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Scott plays a hiker menaced by a killer in a baby doll mask, shot on 16mm film. This marks a darker turn for the actor, who has also played a serial killer in Bloodline and a cop in Bad Man. 'It's been a lot of fun to do different things,' he says.
Scott originally wanted darker roles, citing A Clockwork Orange as his favourite film and Malcolm McDowell as his inspiration. However, his breakout came with American Pie, where he worked for just under a week and was reportedly paid a modest $8,000. Now, he says, 'I just want to make a fun little project every once in a while, then go home to my daughter.'
