Seann William Scott Recalls Playing Stifler 20 Years After American Pie: 'It Was Such a Gift'
It’s been two decades since Seann William Scott, 42, first burst onto the big screen as jerky teenage bro Steve Stifler in the 1999 film American Pie.
Twenty years later, the actor, who just got married for the first time to designer Olivia Korenberg, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue he adored playing the “lovable a–hole.”
“This was such a fun character to play,” he says. “At the beginning of my career, that genre of films of R-rated crazy comedies were doing really well, so as much as I wanted to maybe do something more dramatic or serious, I was like, this character is much more fun to play than the boring straight guy.”
In his latest film Bloodline (available now on streaming), Scott does take on the role of seemingly boring straight guy Evan, a family man and high school guidance counselor who is a secret killer.
“I got to play myself for the first time in a movie!” he jokes. “No, it was actually easier for me to play this part compared to the wild comedy guys. It’s kind of exhausting playing the cartoonish, high energy lovable a–holes.”
Looking back, would he play Stifler all over again? The answer is, of course.
“Clearly, I did four American Pies,” he says. “Very quickly, I realized that it was such a gift to be able to make people laugh.” He says he would even do a fifth. “I would do it. I think seeing Stifler in his 40s as the exact same guy, just not growing up at all seems even funnier to me.”
As for people confusing his real-life personality with that of his alter-ego, he says it doesn’t really happen anymore.
“I’ve been doing this long enough now that most people don’t really expect me to be Stifler,” he says. “I’m definitely goofy. I like to make people laugh. But no, I’m not like the American Pie guy. That would probably not be a great thing in real life.”
RELATED: Seann William Scott Reflects on American Pie‘s 20th Anniversary: It Was a ‘Dream Come True’
Still, he has plenty of people coming up to him in public to say hello, which he finds charming.
“You know the really sweet thing is, that because most of the characters I have played are guys that are relatable, you feel like I could be someone you went to school with, or your brother, or your cousin,” he says. “So, people feel like they know me, which is think is really fun.”
In his private life, Scotts says he’s far less exciting. “I love to travel. I have a hello lab named Dude, and I’m with him all the time. I’m hanging with my dog, I’m reading books, going for bike rides,” he says. “I’m always outside.”
He adds with a laugh, “I’m really boring!”
For more about Seann William Scott, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
