I recently got the chance to talk to Brian Mahoney about his role in the newest ‘American Pie’ installment, ‘American Reunion’. Here, Brian talks about what it was like working with Seann William Scott and the original cast and which three people he would invite to dinner…
Hey Brian. Thanks for taking the time out to talk to me about your new film, ‘American Pie: American Reunion’.
What’s the general plotline surrounding this installment?
‘American Reunion’ brings all of the original ‘American Pie’ characters back to East Great Falls a decade later for their high school reunion. We get to see how each one has changed over the course of a weekend – or in Stifler’s case – not changed.
Tell us a bit about the character you play in the movie…
I play the role of the policeman. I originally auditioned for the role of Kara’s dad in the film but ultimately did not look enough like Kara to land the part. But the studio liked what I did and asked if I wanted to fly to Atlanta to play the smaller part of the policeman who gets to arrest one of the leading men in the film. I said yes and I’m glad I did. It may be a small role but I’m pretty sure I’m the only cop who has ever gotten to arrest one of the ‘American Pie’ gang or made the hilarious Eugene Levy fall out a window!
Had you seen any of the ‘American Pie’ films before you signed on?
I saw the original ‘American Pie’ and loved it. East Great Falls is actually a fictitious city in Michigan that is really Grand Rapids. I graduated high school next door in Muskegon, Michigan so this story was somewhat personal for me. I really wanted to be involved any way I could.
How would you say this installment is different and unique?
We get to see how the cast has grown and it reflects how we have grown along with them. We watch them struggle with many of the same challenges we all go through. There’s something very familiar about it, very comfortable.
Why do you think the franchise is so popular?
Well it’s a very funny R rated comedy, which is not easy to do well. And the cast is superb, they make it look easy but good comedy is anything but easy. I gotta say I laughed more watching this movie than I actually did watching the original.
The film stars Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott and Mena Suvari – with Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg onboard as directors – what was it like working with the cast and crew on-set? Any good anecdotes?
The crew were pros and the cast was a blast. The guys I worked with over the week were really cool. Chris Klein? Gentleman. Thomas Ian Nicholas? A gentleman who is also a talented musician and has his own band, the Thomas Nicholas Band or TNB.
One of the cooler things to happen to me on set involved Sean William Scott who plays Stifler. You won’t meet a nicer guy, Sean was really impressive and wicked smart unlike the character he plays. In fact if you read the film’s credits you’ll see he is actually an executive producer on the film. Well during our scene he suggested to one of the directors that he thought it would be cool if I turned to him as I was walking away with my suspect and said: “Say hello to your mother for me”. It was a great instinct – I thought that would have been a great Stifler moment but in the end we ran out of light and had to scrap that part of the shot – too bad!
Let’s talk a bit about you Brian. What made you want to get into the industry in the first place?
Oh I knew when I was ten years old. I just didn’t know how to go about doing it for several more years.
You’ve been in a number of different films and TV projects – which actors/actresses have been your favourites to work with so far and why?
That would have to be Sean Patrick Flanery and Norm Reedus from ‘The Boondock Saints’ film series. Those guys could run a school for cool. Great attitudes, pros who also make it fun. I learned a lot from them, especially when I accompanied them to Africa and the Middle East to meet some of our troops on a USO tour.
If you could have dinner with three guests – (living or dead), who would you choose and why?
- Kirk Douglas because it was his work that most influenced me as a child. The guy’s face is moving at 60 mph just standing still.
- John F Kennedy, because he was brilliant and might be able to tell me what really happened that day in Dallas.
- And finally I’d like to be sitting next to 1996 Salma Hayak while she was wearing her famous Santanico Pandemonium bathing suit courtesy of ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’.
What is your favourite holiday destination and why?
That’s like trying to decide what my favourite food is…depends on my mood. Depends on who I am with. Paris was cool. Venice and London too. I am drawn to water so either coast in America works for me.
What is your favourite word?
A word alone can be taken out of context but I like expressions. Stuff like “I love you”, “Oh don’t stop”, “We’d like to offer you the role”. Those all work for me…
What’s coming up for you in 2012?
I’m working with an Italian director named Max Leonida now. I am writing an original screenplay for him to direct by the end of the year. It’s the most challenging thing I have done so far but I made sure to write a great role for myself. I can’t wait to shoot it!
Thanks for the interview!
Matt J. Horn 