While not all of the original cast of the first two "American Pie" movies return for the nuptials, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) does, along with Stifler, Finch, Michelle, Jim, and Jim's parents.
In this interview, Nicholas joins new supporting cast member Nikki Ziering to talk about filming the third "Pie," character development, and the craziness of filming the bachelor party scene.
Thomas, you were out of the hijinks in the second ?American Pie,? but now you?re back. Was it fun?
THOMAS IAN NICHOLAS: Yes, it was a great time to be back again.
The character was still kind of that in the second, getting the whole beach house thing going.
But now you get to go crazy.
THOMAS: Oh, because I was tied to that chair and involved in the bachelor party stuff? Yeah, I would take any opportunity I could to be tied to a chair for 10 days again. That?s how long we filmed that sequence.
How many hours at a time were you tied to the chair?
THOMAS: When we were filming, it was like I?d be in the chair anywhere from an hour to three hours. It wasn?t real duct tape. I mean, it was real duct tape but it wasn?t sticking to me. But I think physical comedy, there?s a price to pay for it - and it pays off.
NIKKI ZIERING: He had welts on his body from when I got a little too aggressive with the whip. ?Am I hitting you too hard? Say something.?
Nikki, you were discovered while working as a dental hygienist. Did you do the agent?s teeth?
NIKKI: No. I was working as a dental assistant, going to school to be a hygienist, and my career goal was to eventually be an orthodontist.
That was what I was going to do for a living. I think just to make extra money on the side, I had made a phone call to Anheiser Busch. I [told them] I wanted to be a Budweiser girl because I saw these girls doing promotions in bars at night. That was how I met the modeling agent. I ended up basically putting my job and school and everything on hold one summer because I had some opportunities to travel around, go to Tahiti, and do some photo shoots. I thought, ?Oh, this is quite an experience, and then I?ll go back to everything in the fall.? That was 12 years ago. I?ve never looked back.
Seann said they all got used to you being naked on the set. Was it tough having guys not care about you being naked?
NIKKI: They?re so professional and they?re such sweethearts. I was very comfortable. I never felt uncomfortable. You do get used to it. How did I keep it exciting?
THOMAS: Well, she had the whip. That?s how she kept it exciting.
NIKKI: I had the whip. I was spanking butts and pinching nipples?
THOMAS: Yeah, she was.
NIKKI: It was so much fun. It just never got old. So much so that if I set that whip down and turned my back, a crewmember or somebody would have it. Everybody wanted to be Officer Krystal and hold that whip.
How did you feel about being asked to play a stripper?
NIKKI: To play a stripper, for me, when I first heard about the role, I was a little bit like, ?I don't know that that?s something that I want to really start out as doing.? But I think the role isn?t about so much being a stripper. It was a character that was different from anything that I?ve ever done, this aggressive dominatrix that is just [the] opposite of anything I?ve ever done. You would think typically I would always be offered those types of roles, like a stripper, but not this kind of over the top, campy [character].
Did you practice doing lap dances?
NIKKI: You know, I meant to. I said, ?Oh, I?m going to go research and do all this stuff.? It never really happened. I didn?t feel prepared for it. I?d never really rehearsed or researched. I was just kind of winging it. I really was amazed how natural it was for me and how easy.
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