Seann William Scott has entered the conversation around actors and their small paychecks in light of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The 46-year-old actor appeared on The Rich Eisen Show and played a game of “Truth or Dare,” where he revealed that one of his most iconic roles was actually one of his most underpaid.
Elder millennials would agree that — Seann’s most memorable role was Steve Stifler from the 1999 coming-of-age comedy American Pie.
The Dude, Where’s My Car actor shockingly revealed how much he made from his first appearance in the franchise that produced three theatrical sequels and five direct-to-DVD sequels, and the number is pretty low.
Rich asked if it was true if Seann was only paid a four-figure number, and he responded, “I think so, yeah, because I remember afterward I bought a used Thunderbird for, like, $5,000 or maybe $6,000, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, baby.’”
“I don’t know what happened to the other $2,000 because I ended up having to work at the LA Zoo as a churro guy, so maybe it was even less than $8,000,” he added.
The Role Models star said he worked at the LA Zoo before the movie came out, where he was employed for only “two days.”
To think he only made $8,000 for a film that became a major hit of a popular franchise highlights that actors aren't guaranteed big payouts upfront, especially for new intellectual properties. American Pie made $235 million at the global box office over an $11 million budget.
It’s fair to note that according to the Hollywood Reporter, Jason and Seann negotiated salaries of $5 million each for reprising their roles in the 2012 sequel American Reunion.
Stream American Pie and the direct sequels on Peacock.
