MIKE ELLIOTT TALKS AMERICAN PIE PRESENTS: GIRLS' RULES
"Worked hard to find that Stifler energy"
Daniel John
I would argue 'American Pie' always have had worthwhile female characters, but instead of focusing on the boys, in 'Girls’ Rule' we finally get to see the world of 'American Pie' through their perspective. What was it like for you having all these actresses on set?
I've been on a lot of sets but I don't think I've ever had a cast that came together like this one did. Madison Pettis, Lizze Broadway, Piper Curda and Natasha Behnam met on day one and their chemistry was undeniable. The friendship between these four young women is the heart of the film and we could tell from the beginning that we had something special. It's always great when your shooting days can be punctuated by laughter and fun but with this group, it was a joy to go to work. Around the four leads we built a real comedic ensemble including Daren Barnett, Zachary Gordon, Camaron Engles, Christian Valderamma, Ed Quinn and, of course, Sara Rue. These talented and funny actors added to the script and their characters in every scene. The cast genuinely likes each other and believes in what we’re making and I think that really comes through in the final film.
I was very much a kid in 1999 and I’ve bet you’ve gotten to hear a lot of these stories of “where people was” when talking about the film. 'American Pie' was and has continued to be a franchise that people have been able to grow up with, which of course makes it all the more exhilarating to now see a new generation of girls and young women get a different kind of relationship to the franchise as well. Did you get to talk any with the cast about their relations to the past films?
Most of the cast weren't even born when 'American Pie' was released, which was a funny experience for me. They all loved and respected the first film but didn’t have the perspective to understand how groundbreaking it was. Behind the scenes we were constantly talking about what makes an “American Pie” movie and how to keep the spirit of the original while making a movie for now and the future, with strong, empowered women in the lead roles. Lizze Broadway plays Stephanie Stifler and we worked hard to find that “Stifler energy” and what that exactly means. But, on the whole, with this being a female led film, it was less about connecting it to the past films and more about making the story true from a female perspective. We didn't want to just take the original four male characters and change their gender. We wanted these characters and their actions to feel real to the women in the cast and, eventually, the audience.
At the time the original came out, you of course were already out shooting your own movies, but do you still remember your experience of when that film came out?
I remember exactly where I was. I was shooting a movie in Saskatchewan, in central Canada. It was a Sunday morning and I decided to go to the theater for an eleven o’clock show. I enjoy seeing movies about which I know nothing. Movies I have never heard of, I don’t want to see the trailer, I don’t want to see the poster. So I just walked up to the ticket booth and asked what was playing at eleven. It was 'American Pie'. I had never heard of it so I bought the ticket and it blew me through the back of the theater wall. People like to say that the original 'American Pie' is a comedy classic that challenged expectations, pushed the envelope, and inspired tons of impersonators. That’s not enough. Adam Herz, Paul Weitz, Chris Moore, Craig Perry, Warren Zide and Priscilla Nedd-Friendly bestowed upon us their intimate, personal, raunchy, heartfelt “fuck you” to the establishment. I thought, holy shit, they didn’t redefine the sex comedy, they redefined comedy. When the movie ended, I left the theater, bought another ticket, and watched it again from the exact same seat. That started my life-long love affair with 'American Pie'. Flash forward twenty years and here I am directing the first 'American Pie' with all female leads. It’s like a dream come true.
With newer generational pieces like 'Booksmart' to classic high-school films like 'Dazed and Confused' and 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' there is no question that these genre films keep being watched, but what has been really special about 'American Pie' has been it’s way to live on not just as a single film but as a franchise?
I think you said it yourself in your earlier question. People remember when they first saw 'American Pie'. The boldness of that first film and the audience it built endures and has been passed down, much like the "book of love" in the first film.
This initially was very close to being a male-led film again?
There was an early script that was a male-led story. We worked on it for a while but as we progressed, we realized we could do something more topical but still funny. The credit for pulling off the feminization of the project goes to several women who worked on its development, Universal-executive Lisa Gooding and producers Abbey Lessanu and Karen Gorodetzky. While I have been associated with 'American Pie' for a long time, I have also long been hoping we could do something new with it. Screenwriter Blayne Weaver and I tried a lot of things but the idea of a female led sex comedy stood out and was something that interested us. When we started working on the script, I got more and more invested in these characters. I really felt we had something special. That other movie has been made! Hell, I've made that movie. We wanted to make something different, something for today. Something for right now. Something for the future.
This film have something I’ve been hoping to see ever since Arielle Kebbels role in 'Band Camp', a female Stifler. The Stiflers has been a way to keep the original legacy alive before, but how did you go about casting the first female one. Is it right that Lizze originally read for the Annie part?
Lizze did indeed first audition for Annie but she had an inner, I struggle with finding the right word but I'm going with, ferocity. She had this giant energy and confidence that immediately stood out. We had her read for Stephanie and everyone knew we had found our Stifler.
Why do you think this whole group works so well?
I think Madison Pettis plays the role of Annie so well because she’s a talented actor but also because she carries interesting divisions and real contrast in her personality. She is smart. She is wholesome. She is sexy. Whether she knows it or not, she draws on all that. Piper Curda’s method is hermetically sealed to me. To me, she seems like a different kind of actor than Madison and Lizze. Piper is like artificial intelligence. She just does something, anything, makes a choice, and it comes out eerily perfect. She can be hanging out on set, someone yells “action” and Piper stands and delivers her character of Kayla pretty much flawlessly, then she goes back to hanging out. Natasha Behnam has a lyrical style of speaking that makes her acting soundlike poetry. And she uses her body, hands, feet, arms, eyes, face, lips, everything, to create a body language that is so clumsy and self-effacing that it reaches spit-take-level funny. That’s her thing. And she is a terrific person. Sweet. We saw so many talented young actors and I'm really proud of the cast we built. While 'American Pie' had male leads, we will never forget the females. Same thing for the new 'Girls’ Rules' but we flipped it, don’t forget the boys! Darren Barnet, Zachary Gordon, Camaron Engels and Christian Valerrama, all rock and are solid funny. For the parents, we wound up with the lovely and talented Ed Quinn and Sara Rue, who is kind of a comedic genius, and then there’s Barry Bostwick and Danny Trejo, both legends. There is a funny deleted scene somewhere online featuring Madison Pettis, Clint Howard and a nun. Check that out. I also consider singer, songwriter, rock-star Tataina de Maria part of this ensemble. She’s the musical “voice” of the movie and really brings it home.
This also marks a return for David H. Steinberg as one of the screenwriters for the film. The first film he ever wrote was actually 'American Pie 2' and he would later also work on 'The Book of Love' with you. But alongside him and Blayne Weaver, though they seem to be uncredited, there were some female writers on it too?
Both David and Blayne are incredibly talented writers. As we were getting close to production, we all wanted to make sure that the female characters were ringing true. We compiled a writer's room and invited about ten smart, funny women writers. We went through the script and they would question story points, character arcs, suggest funnier lines and just basically make sure the story tracked. It was unbelievably helpful and changed a lot of the script. The most memorable thing about that female writers’ room was the funny raunchy things that came out of the mouths of this ladies. My face was red the entire time.
You had already worked on two successful “reboots” of the series, introducing a new cast in 'Band Camp' in 2005 as a producer and successfully doing it again with 'The Book of Love', as both a producer and second unit-director, in 2009. So, while already very familiar with it, why did you to step up to direct this one?
Once we locked on to this being a female-led 'American Pie' I was on board. It was a challenge that excited me.
Having worked on so many films that you have throughout the years. What will it take for you to also sit down in the director’s chair?
I choose movies based on whether or not I think they will be fun to direct. I try to figure out if the whole process will be enjoyable or a drag. Is the script good. Is it funny. What’s the setting. Where will it be shot. How much control will I have. Is the budget adequate. Are there nice people involved. Is it something you would like to do more often then you have time for. I love to direct but at this point in my career it has to be fun. Producing is harder but it’s also much less time consuming. A producer can work on ten projects at a time. A director can really only concentrate on one, unless you are Tyler Perry.
What made you pursue a career as a filmmaker?
I have an early memory of walking down the street behind my mother. It was a smalltown and I must have been five or six years old. There was one theater in the town, the Tower Theater. As my mother and I walked past, I saw there, in the glass case in front of the theater, a movie poster. And on that poster was one of the most marvelous things I had ever seen, a giant cyclops wielding a club in one hand and a cave woman in the other. The movie was called 'Deathstalker'. When I saw it, I grabbed my mom’s purse and stopped her. Spun her around and begged her to let me see it. Needless to say, the answer was no. I didn’t know it at the time but it was a Roger Corman movie.
Which is the first film set you worked on?
My first experience on a real film set came while I was still in high school, on a whitewater rafting comedy called 'Up The Creek'. It was billed as “Animal House on rafts” because it starred a bunch of the cast from 'Animal House'. I had been doing some whitewater rafting and the producers needed some doubles and safety personnel so I signed on. Fun facts, the male lead was Tim Matheson, who was in 'American Pie: Book of Love'. The female lead was Jennifer Runyon, who later starred in 'Carnosaur'. And, little did I know, the picture was produced by Sam Arkoff, the legendary producer who spring-boarded Roger Corman and financed Roger’s early films. Flash forward a few years later, and I was thinking about what I might do with my life. My friends all seemed to have concrete plans about what careers or crafts they would pursue. I had no idea. Some people suggested banking and that I should get a suit and go to New York for some interviews. So, I did, and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I hated the interviews, I hated the people I met and, most of all, I hated the suit. Trying to figure something out, I remembered working on that movie, during highschool, 'Up the Creek'. The memories were full of excitement and fun. The people seemed smart and hard-working and creative and best of all, no one was wearing a suit. So, I hopped in my car and drove to Los Angeles. I handed out CVs all over town and started getting small jobs here and there. I eventually found my way to Roger Corman. I heard that Roger Corman ran a studio where hard working people could succeed. I called his office but no one called back. I sent my CV but no one responded. Finally, I went down to his office, walked in and asked to see him. The person at the front desk told me that no one could meet Roger without an appointment. I calmly said, “Tell Mr. Corman that I will work for six months free”. The attendant grabbed my CV and said, “One moment” and disappeared. A minute later, Roger Corman came out and invited me to his office.
He became somewhat of a mentor?
Roger isn’t just a mentor. He and I share a bond. We are similar people. We both work very hard, seven days a week. We don’t really take any vacations. We both care about the big stuff but also about the tiniest details. People sometimes think that Roger is cheap but he’s one of the most generous people I have ever known. He let me learn by doing. He paid for me to make mistakes. Roger gave me the keys to the movie kingdom. Where else on earth does a twenty-two-year-old kid who does not know what the fuck he is doing, get to make dozens of movies?
You would later direct the late Rutger Hauer in 'The Scorpion King 4', obviously such a legendary actor whose work will live on forever. Is there a moment with him you could share?
Rutger Hauer. I have so many stories about Rutger. Icon. Action Star. Shit disturber. He was a fun guy to work with. He was very into his character but also loved to fuck with anyone and everyone. Setting people up. Out for a laugh. He once goaded a camel into spitting on me. People who are familiar with camels euphemistically call it “spitting” but it’s really vomiting. Camels vomit as a way of expressing displeasure. Rutger strategically placed himself between a camel and me, and began teasing the camel, making it angry, goading it into vomiting. I was facing the other way, not paying attention until the animal prepared to vomit on Rutger, who yelled, “Mike!” and then he quickly jumped out of the way. I turned around into a blast of camel vomit in the face, Rutger laughing on the side. Most people have not been vomited upon by a camel. It’s something one never forgets. But that’s not the end of the story. Another thing about camels, their poop is perfectly round and really nice looking, about the size of a large gumball, about ten balls to a poop. The poop balls look great in a bowl. So, I collected about ten camel poo balls and put them in a nice bowl. Later, the same day, I approached Rutger, holding the bowl of camel poo, pretending to be chewing. Rutger looked over, interested. I offered up the bowl, “Rutger, have you tried these date balls from craft service?” Before I could say anything, he grabbed a camel poo and popped it into his mouth. The ecstatic look on my face must have given away the joke. Before the poo ball had even touched Rutger’s tongue, he knew he’d been had. He spit the “camel poo date ball” onto the ground and simultaneously took a swing at me. I was prepared and jumped back, avoiding his punch, and ran off laughing. Fortunately, Rutger’s knees were bothering him and he couldn’t keep up. Can you imagine what it would have been like to be punched by Rutger Hauer?! Socko! It was like that every day on set with him. Star. Legend. Rutger Hauer. I miss him.
While on the subject of female empowerment and films bearing the mark of the nineties you played “Cop 1” in 'Black Scorpion', the Joan Severance-led “Female Batman” movie, what do you recall from starring in that movie back in the day?
'Black Scorpion' was a female empowerment movie, a female superhero movie. Joan Severance, who was a top model, was beautiful, in great shape and at the height of her Hollywood powers. Rick Rossovich delivered a moving performance as her father. Originally made for Showtime, it was forward thinking and entertaining but when one watches it now, the low budget shows. We made a sequel and then two seasons of a series based on it. Now, to say that I “starred” in the picture is a bit of an overstatement. I acted a couple days on it. It was fun. The director, Jonathan Winfrey, was talented and seemed to have command of the set. It was classic superhero origin story and I enjoyed being a part of it.
There obviously has been several cross-over characters and references between the different 'American Pie' movies before, so do you think there will ever be room and opportunity for a film that more consciously makes a point and effort to bring some of these characters together?
The 'American Pie' shared universe of East Grand Rapids High School holds a lot of opportunity. I would like to see Lizze Broadway and Seann William Scott at a Stifler reunion. That might be absolutely hysterical. Eugene Levy can come around any 'American Pie' movie and fit right in. I’d like to know a little more about what might happen between Jim’s Dad and Stifler’s Mom. What are Jim and Michelle like as parents? I don't see any reason why these characters couldn't interact in the future. I'd watch these movies.
Are there future 'American Pie' plans?
Right now, I am concentrating on a senior class trip movie. Very funny stuff. It could be with the same cast as 'American Pie: Girls’ Rules', plenty of funny there.
