Why Hollywood turned its back on Seann William Scott - Stifler in 'American Pie'

In 1999, the world was terrified of Y2K, something which was much talked about but never actually came to pass. In the world of cinema, slasher flicks like 'Scream' were big hits. But the biggest success of 1999 was not horror, it was the comedy 'American Pie'.

The stars of the film, unknown to the general public for the most part, became global stars overnight.

Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Mena Suvari, Tara Reid, and Chris Klein were part of this cast and a new generation who aimed to dominate the Hollywood of the new century. Yet, Seann William Scott (1976), who played Stifler in the movie, grabbed most of the attention.

At 23, the actor built an iconic character, and he was by turns: cheeky, perverted, funny, excruciating, and hypnotic. He was the real protagonist and scene-stealer of the film, along with Noah Levenstein (Eugene Levy).

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The role of Stifler was so successful, the subsequent movies in the franchise always had the character himself or a family member as the star.

Scott's success can be attributed to the actor knowing exactly how to play his character, which improved the overall script. As a result, the audience adored him and he was anointed as the 'The Next Big Thing' in Hollywood. Looking back over the last 20 years, it is clear that the actor never capitalized on this initial success.

Even though scripts and opportunities came pouring in - something that allowed him to crank out 14 films in the first five years of the 2000s - he didn't have the knack of choosing the right project.

His films did not stand out and were destroyed by critics and the public. For example, 'Dude, where's my car?' (2000) scores 17% on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.5 on IMDb. Meanwhile, 'Bulletproof Monk' has a rating of 23% on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.5 on IMDb.

As well as being panned, his movies did not make money at the box office. 'Bulletproof Monk' is the most obvious example of this. It only recouped $37 million of its $52 million budget.

With each movie bomb, he was increasingly seen as box-office poison, and studios were reluctant to cast him. His star power invariably started to dim.

So, Seann William Scott chose to move to the world of dubbing, where he did much better. He was cast in the 'Ice Age' franchise, voicing Crash up to four times.

At this stage of his career, Scott was in a peculiar dilemma. On one hand, he was doing more dubbing in the world of TV and video games, which kept him working but invisible. On the other hand, he was synonymous with one of the most famous characters in comedy history - Stifler.

He was just 23 when he played a teenager in 'American Pie', and now that he is in his late 40s, he remains in Stifler's shadow. That has its benefits - Scott still has a muscular physique and model good looks.

His typecasting is something he shares with co-star Jason Biggs, who will be forever known as the pie lover Jim Levenstein.

Scott's career drift is also a consequence of the actor playing it safe. He leaned into comedy and adventure roles rather than leaving his comfort zone and trying different genres.

When he finally decided to stretch himself as an actor with 'Just Before I Go' (2014), directed by Courtney Cox, it was too late. To compound matters, the movie itself was badly received by critics.

Despite these career setbacks, everyone who has worked with him says that he is a spectacular professional, an excellent actor and a charming guy on set.

But of course, being a great actor and a nice guy is not at odds with having certain addictions. In March 2011, according to TMZ, the actor spent 30 days in rehab. Nobody knows for sure what addiction he was trying to overcome.

Scott has managed to revive his career on TV, and he is fortunate that there are millions of platforms recording hundreds of series a year.

This is how Seann William Scott ended up on the television version of 'Lethal Weapon', playing Wesley Cole. He starred in the third season, replacing Clayne Crawford. Unfortunately, the Scott jinx seemingly struck again as the series was not renewed for a fourth season.

His latest TV project was 'Welcome to Flatch', a mockumentary series that follows the lives of the peculiar inhabitants of this small town. Seann William Scott played Father Joe, the local priest. It lasted for two seasons and was cancelled in Oct.2023.

In 2023, he played 'Darryl' in the film 'The Wrath of Becky,' but he's still not done. He's currently booked for two new films 'Grand Death Lotto,' directed by the same director as 'Bridesmaids,' annnd.. you guessed it: 'American Pie 5.'

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