Dazed, but not confused
By Neil Davey
Jason Biggs is a happy soul. He bounds into the room like a Labrador, an enormously friendly ball of energy, happy, chatty and shaking hands with enthusiasm. This is a good, firm handshake, a manly handshake, the sort of handshake you can trust. And then you realise that hand was once glued to his penis in the name of comedy. And then you realise that this was the man who once humped baked goods for our viewing pleasure. It seems that the American Pie image is hard to shake off. Does that ever get old? ‘On the one hand, yes,’ agrees Jason. ‘On the other…’
The conversation then turns to the American Pie straight-to-DVD sequels that have been tacked on to the original good natured, if slightly gross, comedy trilogy. ‘It’s flattering, in a way,’ says Jason, ‘the 
name we created, this connection that I’m partly responsible for.’ He pulls a face. ‘On the other hand, it feels a little like they’re exploiting it but,’ he shrugs, ‘it’s a business at the end of the day. ‘I’ve not seen the DVD ones, I can only make assumptions about the quality, but the quality could be totally shit, they could make a million of them and go on for years and years and years — and they probably will – but it doesn’t change what we did with those first three, or the pride that I feel for being in them.’ Surely though, the continuing fruit- and pastry-related innuendo must make you, er, crumble? Do you not sometimes wish that was a page you could, ahem, turnover? Or are scenes like those something that, for an actor are golden? Delicious even?
‘I’ve heard them all!’ he laughs. ‘I’m waiting for the new joke. Believe me, I solicit it. I want the new joke. It doesn’t wear thin. I’m proud of that film and my involvement in it, it’s so responsible for my success to date that I can’t be angry at people for bringing it up. The more they bring it up, the more I’m aware that it’s one of those iconic film moments. I’m that guy. It’s pretty cool.’ Indeed. Jason is THAT guy, and he demonstrates his love of the shameless again in his new movie Wedding Daze. In the
opening scene, in fact. Wedding Daze is a romantic comedy about Anderson (played by Jason) and Katie (Isla Fisher), the waitress he proposes to the first time they meet. However, Jason starts the film with another girl… and in an unforgettable Cupid outfit with wings, bow, arrow and, er, red sequinned underpants. Is there, we wonder, anything Jason wouldn’t do for comedy? He thinks for a fraction of a second. ‘No. If I have put my penis inside of an apple pie, if I’ve Crazy Glued my hand to my penis, if I have worn that outfit… what would it be that I would say no to?! It would have to be ridiculous, probably involving animals or small children, probably illegal… ‘ The same, apparently, can be said about co-star Isla Fisher. ‘She’s sweet and fun and just a good person to have on set,’ reveals Jason. ‘The best thing about Isla is that she’s down to do anything for a joke. I’m not unique as a young guy who’ll go for those things, but young, funny, beautiful women who will do anything for the sake of a joke? The movie wouldn’t have worked without her.’
While Jason’s not convinced about love at first sight – ‘my experience is lust at first sight and then you fall in love’ – he does like to be spontaneous when it comes to travel. ‘This trip [to London] came together about three weeks ago and I’ve ended up adding things. I’m going to Scotland to golf for a week, and then I have a friend’s bachelor party in Madrid. I wasn’t going to come to it because it was two nights and it was too difficult to come from LA. But now I’m “well, I have to come to London to do some press and
there’s a week in-between… so I could go golf for a week and then meet you in Spain.”’ He beams. ‘I love that shit.’ He also, it’s clear, loves golf. And if anyone at St Andrews is reading this, please do what you can. ‘We’re on a ballot for the Old Course, so if you could put this in the papers, that would be fantastic. Just say “Jason Biggs and his friends really want to play the Old Course”. I will wear proper clothes. Whatever it takes. The knickerbockers, the Plus Fours.’ He grins. ‘The red sequinned Cupid outfit…’ You’ve mentioned the outfit a few times. We kind of hate to ask but did you, er… ‘The answer is yes. I kept the entire outfit. I’ve got the wings, the bow and the arrow and the panties. I’ve got them at my house.’ He winks. ‘And every Friday night…’
And on that note, perhaps it’s time for a final question. What’s next, Mr Biggs? ‘A movie called Over My Dead Body, although the title might change. It’s with Paul Rudd and Eva Longoria, a romantic comedy, I think out in September. And I’m working on a pilot for CBS called I’m In Hell, with David Cross, and hopefully that will get on the air. ‘I play a total jerk, which is a lot of fun, and in the opening sequence I die and go to Hell but Hell is full so I’m made part of a pilot programme called “Hell On Earth”, and I’m in Akron, Ohio, sent there to live among the mortals. David Cross [Tobias in Arrested Development] plays the Hell emissary who’s there to make my life, well, hell. Jason grins. ‘I’m pretty sure that people in Akron are not going to respond to this but I’m hoping they don’t make up too much of the ratings.’