TARA REID PLAYS “VICKY LATHUM” IN JOHN HURWITZ & HAYDEN SCHLOSSBERG’S AMERICAN PIE: REUNION
A: I was very keen. We all knew we needed each other to do it. Every time someone else signed up I would say to myself, “Yes!” We knew that if we could get everyone back we would probably have a great film.
Q: Were you excited to read the script?
A: I was so excited to read the script. I was interested to see where the storyline of Vicky, my character, was going; especially in regards to her relationship with Kevin, now that he is married.
Q: Is that spark between them still there?
A: Everyone has a first love, and you never forget it. Obviously he has moved on, but Vicky hasn’t. You see that connection between them flourish again.
Q: What can you say of Thomas Ian Nicholas, who returns to the role of Kevin?
A: Thomas is so talented, and not just as an actor but also as a musician.
Q: How much did you enjoy working together again?
A: We had so much fun. Thomas and I were like little kids. We would drive together to work and just have a laugh.
Q: What was it like to shoot on location?
A: Thanks to being on location we all got to spend more time together and have fun, and it shows! When we shot the first film in LA we would just go home every night after work.
Q: How was Atlanta?
A: We had a great time in Atlanta. It has its own heartbeat and we all enjoyed ourselves there. It is a city with great energy, and the food is really good.
Q: Where is Vicky in her life when we meet her again in AMERICAN PIE: REUNION?
A: Vicky has moved on and lives in New York City. When she goes to the high school reunion she realizes half her friends are married and that some even have kids. She wonders if she has done the right thing becoming a career girl and living in the city, since she doesn’t have love in her life. To make things worse, the guy she could have loved and married is now married to someone else.
Q: Has she stayed in touch with everyone?
A: She finds out about the high school reunion thanks to Kevin, but I don’t believe she has really stayed much in touch with the rest of the gang.
Q: So, what happens when they all get back together again?
A: What happens is that everyone goes back to the same person they always were.
Q: Did you go to your high school reunion?
A: I didn’t. In a way, living and making this movie has been my own personal high school reunion.
Q: AMERICAN PIE: REUNION was shot by filmmakers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. What can you say about them?
A: They are great, and they worked amazingly well together. Jon and Hayden were in touch with all the characters and cared about every detail. They were also open to listening to everything we said. We went back and forth on many different things, and they just made it all work out. So, in the end we came out happy.
Q: Would you say that Vicky and Kevin are, amongst all the craziness going on, probably the most calm and relatable people in the group?
A: Yes, because Thomas and I play straight characters; which is not always easy. So, we are not really that funny in a movie that, on the other hand, is very funny.
Q: What do you like about Vicky?
A: Vicky has good morals and values, and I love how relatable she is. Every girl has been through similar things that she has, especially regarding her first love. I’m sure Vicky thought she would always be with Kevin. I like that you see that love and respect they will always have for each other; but they don’t cross boundaries, which is something I also liked. Who knows, maybe they’ll get back together one day.
Q: Why do you believe that the first AMERICAN PIE movie was so successful all over the world?
A: One of the main reasons for me was the fact that the characters were all likeable. AMERICAN PIE wasn’t one of those mean-spirited comedies that just laugh at people. It was the awkwardness about the situations that made it funny, but it was never hurtful. So, what made it special was that it was a comedy with heart.
Q: What is going to make AMERICAN PIE: REUNION special then?
A: Getting us all to come back and putting the puzzle of our lives back together again. That’s why if there were missing pieces it wouldn’t work. Our lives and our stories come full circle, and that plays well in the film.
Q: What was it like to get back together with the guys?
A: I love Seann William Scott because he is such a talented actor, and he is also so sweet and humble. He is probably the one that is farthest from his character in real life. He really cares and doesn’t have a mean bone in his body, and the same thing can be said about Chris Klein, who is just a good boy. Jason Biggs is a brilliant comedian who is great at what he does. Eddie Kaye Thomas is hilarious too, and extremely intelligent.
Q: And what about the girls?
A: Mena Suvari is a class act. Alyson Hannigan is a sweetheart, and she’s really funny. She is a good actress, a good wife, a good mother and, in the end, really what we all aspire to be. Jennifer Coolidge is just so sexy and amazing!
Q: Eugene Levy returns to the role of Jason Biggs’ father. What about him?
A: Eugene is hilarious! He is so funny, and everyone loves him. He exudes this energy that is contagious.
Q: What have you taken back from this whole experience?
A: Returning to AMERICAN PIE made me realize how lucky we all were to be in that first movie to begin with. It’s been an incredible journey, and it was great to be able to come back to it and just laugh again. We had such a good time making AMERICAN PIE: REUNION.