A Lot Of People Think American Pie Is Based on Dan Levy’s Real Life

Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy says that many people assume American Piewas based on his antics as a teen because his dad Eugene starred in it. Real-life father and son Dan and Eugene Levy co-created the sitcom Schitt’s Creek, which they both starred in, alongside Eugene’s regular collaborator Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy, and Emily Hampshire. It ran for six seasons, ending earlier this year and going out with a bang by sweeping the comedy awards at this year’s virtual Emmys ceremony.

While Dan was relatively unknown before creating Schitt’s Creek, his father Eugene is a comedy legend in the United States and his native Canada. Eugene has been performing on stage, TV, and film for almost 50 years, but is probably best known for his portrayal of Jim’s (Jason Biggs) dad in the American Pie franchise. He appeared in all three films in the original trilogy and several straight-to-video spinoffs. His role became instantly iconic, mainly because he frequently walks in on his son in the middle of some embarrassing sexual escapade, including catching him having sex with the apple pie that gives the franchise its name.

Dan revealed as a result of Eugene’s role in American Pie, many people thought the sexual antics in the franchise were based on his life. Dan spilled the beans during an episode of Hot Ones, the YouTube show where celebrities are interviewed while eating several increasingly spicy hot wings. Dan says American Pie was definitely not about his teenage years, complaining that his life was much less exciting and certainly didn’t involve him having sex with an apple pie. He thinks Jason Biggs did a better job playing Eugene’s son than he did on Schitt’s Creek, joking that in real life, his dad prefers Biggs to him. You can read his full comments below:

A lot of people came up and asked me whether the movie was based on my life. My story is way less interesting. I did not have sex with a pie unfortunately. I feel like Jason Biggs did a more successful job at it [playing his dad’s son] than I did. And I ran into Jason recently and in a way it feels like every time I see him he’s a strange sort of extended member of my family. But I’m very at peace with the fact that Jason did a very good job of playing his son. And I think he still prefers Jason to me, let’s be honest.

It’s a hilarious case of fans mistaking movies for real life, but Dan proves he’s got a good sense of humor about it all and gets along with Biggs despite the connotations created by Eugene’s role in American Pie. It can’t have been easy to be a teenager and have your high school classmates think that the embarrassing incidents in the movies were based on you.

It’s also proof of the enduring popularity of the goofy high school comedy that Dan is being asked about it over two decades after his father first starred in it. Though perhaps now that Schitt’s Creek has won so many Emmys, people will stop asking Dan about American Pie and more about his show – especially since all six seasons are now available on Comedy Central and Netflix. Maybe, in the future, people will start associating Eugene with Schitt’s Creek more than American Pie, as the show’s quality should ensure it’s remembered for a long time to come.

Source: Hot Ones

About The Author

Daniel Gillespie
(899 Articles Published)

Daniel Gillespie has been a writer and editor since 2009.

More From Daniel Gillespie