The first thing you notice in Tara Reid’s hotel suite is a helium-filled mylar balloon emblazoned with her smiling face, bobbing near the ceiling behind the actress herself. It can be a little distracting, even when talking to the woman herself, looking fresh and bright and happy to be working again with her “American Pie” crew. But getting from “American Pie” to “American Reunion” wasn’t the smoothest of roads.
The first thing I remember seeing you in was “The Big Lebowski.” What was it like at that point in your career, going from that into “Urban Legend” into “American Pie”?
Well, the Coen Brothers are legendary. They’re iconic, they’re amazing. I loved working with them, and Jeff Bridges was amazing. That whole cast was fantastic. But then “American Pie 1” was the Weitz brothers, so it was two again. And then this one, it’s two again [with co-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg]. I love working with two directors.
Do you have a preference?
I mean, it’s like if you have twins, saying you like having twins better than having one child. I’ve enjoyed all of the experiences that I’ve been on.
After “American Pie,” you moved on to other films, like “Josie and the Pussycats.”
I loved “Josie and the Pussycats.” It was such an underrated movie. I loved playing Melody, she was such a great character. I loved that movie. And there were so many underlying messages that I don’t think people really got. It was almost ahead of itself, I think. I wish people would’ve gotten what I got on it, but you can’t win them all.
Then you go on to things like “Alone in the Dark” and the reality series “Taradise.” What did that part of your career feel like?
Um, I mean, everything is different chapters in your life, and I’ve been through many chapters and many experiences, and now I’m off to my next one — but, you know, to be continued.
And now you come back with “American Reunion,” getting the band back together again. How do you approach that, picking up this character 13 years after the first one?
It’s like, you know, it’s like riding a bike. Once you get back on, boom, you never forget how to ride it.
So for your next chapter, what do you have in mind?
I just want to keep going forward and keep making great films and keep growing. It’s just the films I have coming out, and now we’re just reading the scripts and trying to make the right next choice, and hopefully we will, and hopefully we’ll be sitting down and talking about another great film again.
