Eugene Levy says he didn't want to be Jim's dad in American Pie

Old-school cartoons, dial-up internet, frosted tips - there are a whole bunch of things that have become synonymous with the era of the 1990s.

The decade was also responsible for bringing us some cult-classics of the big screen, and the chaotic coming-of-age American Pie franchise was no exception.

American Pie first hit our screens back in 1999 and has since paved the way for the likes of American Pie 2 (2001), American Wedding (2003) and American Reunion (2012).

While the plot and settings vary from film to film - a cast full of familiar faces has remained consistent throughout.

Whether that was Sean William Scott, who effortlessly embodied the character of Steve Stiffler, White Lotus' very own Jennifer Coolidge who played Stiffler's mom, the OG milf, or Jason Biggs who starred as the painfully-awkward adolescent, Jim Levenstein - the film was packed with great actors.

However, one of the most-adored characters from the franchise was none other than Eugene Levy, who played Jim's overbearing and cringe-worthy dad.

Universal Pictures

But, Levy has since revealed he 'said no' to the role after he first received the script.

Speaking on The Graham Norton Show last night (17 February), the 76-year-old explained: "I said no initially because I got the script."

"You get to page four and somebody is masturbating into a glass of beer and then somebody else unknowingly picks up the beer and then, you know," he explained.

"I didn't want to do it," the Schitt's Creek star continued, "I didn't even like the part the way it was written."

Universal Pictures

He also added that the part was originally written as a 'nudge-nudge wink-wink kind of thing' with Jim's dad trying to be friends with his son.

"I don't want to play that," he recalled.

"I think the dad should be the kind of dad that nobody wants to hang around with when they're a kid."

Elaborating on the father character he vouched for instead, Levy noted: "Just a square dad trying to do the right thing."

Universal Pictures

Due to Levy's requests, creators of the film actually allowed him to 'improvise' before they started shooting.

"I liked the way the improvisations were going," he admitted, "it was kind of turning out the way I wanted it to."

He concluded: "So, I said 'okay' and that was it."

Thankfully, he stuck his foot in the door because if Levy had never made the changes to the script, then we may have never had such an iconic character of Mr Levenstein.

Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 2021 in English Literature. Alongside her studies, she was the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the largest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. Her favourite topics to write about include sex and relationships, bizarre lifestyle trends and all things travel.