Levy was one of the only adults in the film and made the most of his limited screen time, dominating the acting in every scene in which he appeared as Jim's father.
But Levy almost turned down the role – when he was offered Bill Murray– and admitted that he found the script too vulgar. “When I first read the script, it scared me. I said, 'No, I can't do this movie,'” he explained. “My manager at the time said, 'You should go to a meeting, shouldn't you?' and I said, 'Why? This is just too far-fetched for me. This is a children's movie. Why would I want to be in a movie that I wouldn't watch?'”
After meeting with the directors, he realized they were treating the subject matter in an adult way, and he signed on. He was also encouraged to improvise, which the former Second City sketch comedian was happy to do.
“All the scenes in American Pie are improvised,” he told the Huffington Post. “I wanted the character to be a real father. Like a real, cheesy father who takes care of his kids. I wanted to be the kind of father that the kids don't want to hang out with…”[the original version] was a little scary. So I made him more stuffy.”
As one of the few original stars to appear in all films in the franchise, the respected character actor later played alongside his son Dan Levy on their successful TV series Schitt's Creek. The father-son duo won big at the 2020 Emmys with their creation.
He will next appear in the fourth season of “Only Murders in the Building.”
