Seann William Scott, famous for playing Stifler in the ‘American Pie’ franchise, has revealed what he got paid for the role, at least in the first film.
In an interview on ‘The Rich Eisen Show’ during the Hollywood strike, Scott revealed that he only earned $8,000 for starring in the comedy in 1999.
Despite this, ‘American Pie’ was a huge success at the box office, grossing over $235 million, and spawning three sequels: ‘American Pie 2’ (2001), ‘American Wedding’ (2003) and ‘American Reunion’ (2012).
It should be noted that for the subsequent films, Seann pocketed $5 million plus a percentage of the box office.
“That was a lot of money at the time. I remember afterwards I bought a used Thunderbird for five grand, maybe six,” he said.
“I thought, ‘Oh, yeah, honey.’ I don’t know what happened to the other two grand because I ended up having to work at the L.A. Zoo as a churro, so maybe it was even less than eight grand.”
A confession in the middle of the Hollywood strike
This revelation from Scott comes in the midst of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike, where actors and screenwriters are protesting unfair pay and treatment.
The strike has generated concern in the industry, with stars speaking out about shockingly low or non-existent residual checks, and some actors have even had to look for a second job due to poor pay.
This is the first time in 60 years that both the SAG and WGA unions have protested at the same time, taking on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
Celebrities such as George R.R. Martin, creator of ‘Game of Thrones‘, have spoken about the strike, stating: “Regarding the screenwriters…. Well, the studios aren’t even talking to us.
“The negotiations between the AMPTP and the WGA (Writers Guild of America) ended in May, when the strike began. It’s hard to reach any agreement when the other side won’t even sit down to negotiate.”