After 25 years, Jason Biggs took advantage of one of his most memorable roles for some tongue-in-cheek marketing.
The American Pie star, who hosts Netflix‘s Blue Ribbon Baking Championship, joked “there were no pies harmed” while filming the backing competition series, which is “safe for family viewing” and now available on the streamer.
“I’ve really wanted to host something in the food world,” Biggs told USA Today. “Of course, there’s the wink at the camera and the audience with me as a baking show host. And whenever I can’t think of something to say, I always have a pie joke in my back pocket that brings the house down.”
The show’s premiere comes after last month’s milestone anniversary of his breakout role in American Pie (1999), which has long been known for its eponymous scene, in which Biggs’ bumbling teen character Jim fornicates with an apple pie.
“My life is very much defined by a few different demarcation points,” Biggs acknowledged. “There’s getting married, and there’s having kids. But the most obvious ones in terms of craziness was Life Before American Pie and Life After American Pie.”
AMERICAN PIE, Jason Biggs, 1999, (image upgraded to 10.9 x 8.8 in)
Although the actor noted he’s “not actually judging” the competition, he “had to try everything, so at least I knew what was happening. After the judges did their thing, I went back to try everything.”
And while keeping it family-friendly, Biggs doesn’t disappoint with the commentary. “Take it from someone who knows. That is a very attractive pie,” he jokes in one episode.
American Pie starred Biggs, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas and Eddie Kaye Thomas as a group of high school friends who make a pact to lose their virginities before graduation. The ensemble teen comedy also starred Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Natasha Lyonne, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Shannon Elizabeth, Jennifer Coolidge and Eugene Levy.
The movie sparked the sequels American Pie 2 (2001), American Wedding (2003) and American Reunion (2012), as well as numerous loosely-connected spinoff films that did not feature the original cast and were released direct-to-video.