Jason Biggs Meets World

Summary

Pod Meets World – "Jason Biggs Meets World"

iHeartPodcasts | March 23, 2026
Guests: Jason Biggs
Hosts: Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, Ryder Strong

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Episode Overview

This special episode of Pod Meets World takes listeners on a nostalgic journey spanning the early days of Jason Biggs's career to the cultural phenomenon of "American Pie," with behind-the-scenes insight and plenty of heartfelt, funny recollections about growing up as a young actor in the ‘90s. Danielle, Will, and Ryder reminisce about their shared experiences as child stars and unpack Jason’s transition from Broadway kid to international comedy icon—and now, director.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Theater Kid Energy and Adult Theater Camp Banter

[04:00–09:19]

• The show opens post-ads with playful stories about “theater kid energy” in their families and social media.
• The hosts joke about the idea of attending an adult theater summer camp.
  • Danielle insists, “That would be a great little short documentary. If we film the three of us going to camp. Theater camp.” (07:08)
  • Will gleefully adds, “What I’m looking forward to is the drama. The theater kid camp drama!” (07:16)
• They riff about the possibility of swapping such an experience for activities like Porsche racing school or a weed-and-movie weekend.

2. Introducing Jason Biggs

[17:28–17:33]

• Danielle provides an enthusiastic introduction summarizing Jason’s early career, his breakout with “American Pie,” and his recent projects, including his directorial debut.

3. Jason Biggs: Early Acting Life in New Jersey and New York

[17:34–24:53]

• Jason describes how he and his siblings started in showbiz, starting with his older sister’s dance group and forays to NYC for auditions.
  • “My parents thought, you know, okay, this would be a good way to save money for college...then I was five and got a call from the same manager and just started going out.” (18:04)
• Shared ‘tri-state’ roots with Will: riding buses or parent vans to NYC auditions, bratpack memories at studios like Three of Us and Unitel.
• Jason recounts his experience as the “New York kid” flown to LA for big network tests, especially for Drexel’s Class, alongside other notables like Brittany Murphy.

4. Crossing Paths: Shared Sets and Parking Lot Memories

[24:05–25:35]

• Jason realizes he once blocked Ryder Strong’s parking space at CBS’ Mary Tyler Moore studio and fondly remembers spying Ryder’s BMW Roadster.
  • “I’ve been carrying this nugget for so long.” (25:38)
  • Danielle laughs: “I feel like I really just witnessed something good...Your soul feels better, cleansed having gotten that story.” (24:44)

5. The Drexel’s Class Bump – and the Grind of Child Acting

[26:04–35:13]

• Jason reflects on his first big break (Drexel’s Class at age 12): the thrill of working in LA, then the letdown of cancellation.
• Details his Broadway debut (Conversations With My Father) and the hectic routine of balancing school, 8 shows a week, and late-night returns:
  • “Me and David Krumholtz...he would do homework in Act 1, I’d do mine in Act 2. Then curtain call.” (40:09)
  • Affirms his parents’ sacrifices—his mother working nights as a nurse to support him: “She decided to start working nights so she could take me on auditions.” (44:10)
  • Will and Jason reminisce about unsupervised NYC commutes, audition anxieties, and the complicated social life of kid actors.

6. Pivotal Soap Opera Days & First Kiss (on Camera)

[47:40–57:10]

• Jason confides about nearly quitting acting after a dry spell—and then landing As the World Turns.
• Survives being both fired from the soap and getting an Emmy nomination—a real “showbiz up-and-down.”
• Shares a charmingly awkward story about having his actual first kiss on a screen test:
  • “I had to kiss these four actresses...It was my first kiss. Okay?” (53:47)
  • Years later, reconnects with one actress who says, “You were my first kiss.” Jason: “You were my second, third, or fourth...all within about 10 minutes.” (57:01, 57:09)

7. From Reluctant Actor to American Pie

[62:23–66:12]

• Traces the leap to LA, several canceled projects, and finally the audition for “American Pie.”
  • “I read the role and thought, ‘Oh, I’m—this is totally my thing’...that script comes to me and I read it and immediately...it was in a class of its own.” (64:45, 64:57)

8. Auditioning for American Pie & Cast Chemistry

[66:12–68:26]

• Piecemeal casting—no chemistry reads. Jason discovers Eddie K. Thomas (Finch) is his literal and figurative “brother” after knowing him for years.
  • “Fifteen years I’ve seen you and, like, immediate best friends, immediate chemistry.” (68:27)

9. The Infamous Pie Scene: Filming, Ratings & Comedy

[69:36–75:12]

• Jason unpacks filming the iconic pie scene:
  • “We did it two different ways...Which one of these is going to be funnier?” (69:36)
  • The MPAA ratings boiled down to the number of thrusts with the pie.
  • “Two thrusts is an R, but three thrusts is an NC-17.” (71:45)
• On comedy versus sexy nudity:
  • “That was for comedy. Yeah, that was totally fine. If I have to be sexy, that’s a whole different type of pressure.” (Serena Vincent example, 72:44)
  • Jason: “I always sort of thought, Oh, I’ll do anything for a joke.” (72:44)
• “I shot the scene, we did one take...the entire crew burst out laughing...that was the moment...I think this movie’s going to be something.” (74:05)
• Will adds: “It started that entire new generation of what young actors were capable of again, comedically.” (75:17)

10. The Aftermath: Instant Fame & Lasting Cultural Impact

[82:23–87:02]

• The “before and after” of Jason’s public life:
  • “I started getting recognized from the [red band] trailer... that was the first time where I...thought, ‘Oh. I think this is not only something special and good, but could be something beyond any of our sort of...’” (84:49)
  • Sudden fame arrived: “I remember...walking to get a bagel...car stopping...‘Hey, do the dance!’ Oh my god, like that quick.” (85:35)
• Audience members would identify with different American Pie characters—“My favorite thing...guys in particular, you know, like, oh, ‘I’m Oz in our friend group.’” (86:06)
• On American Pie’s time-capsule status: “You can’t make that movie today...but as a time capsule and a reflection of the kinds of experiences that high school kids had...it hit in a way that other movies didn’t.” (86:50)

11. The 2000s Fame Scene and Losing (and Gaining) Roles

[87:02–92:52]

• Tales of Maxim parties, LA nightlife, and forging lifelong friendships—including meeting his future brother-in-law and best friend on a “blind date” to a party (88:02–90:33).
• On typecasting:
  • “There are definitely roles I did not get and continue to not get because I’m Jim in American Pie...but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” (91:14)
  • “I’ll get bumped still...I know I’m still carrying some of that baggage with me, but I’m happy to be carrying the bags.” (92:53)

12. American Pie Sequel Rumors ("American Funeral")

[93:19–95:47]

• Danielle asks about rumors of an “American Funeral”—Jason clarifies: nothing official, but plenty of talk about a sequel starring the next generation.
  • “I think if we were to do one right now, it would be, I’m Eugene, Eugene is the grandfather, my son, and then you kind of pass it off to the next generation.” (94:51)
  • “The only question that I can answer with full confidence is...would I do it? And the answer is, yeah, of course.” (95:04)

13. Directing Debut: "Untitled Home Invasion Romance"

[95:47–101:17]

• Jason describes his path to directing, being set-savvy from childhood, and seeking a first directorial project that felt tonally different from American Pie.
  • “This one...I think it's a...you’ll like it. It’s a really cool script, a fun role, and I think this might be the one you want to direct.” (95:56)
  • “Comedically, I feel like [it] lines up a bit more with my sensibilities as they stand right now...a little darker, weirder, quirkier...the movies I like to watch now.” (97:47)
• Cites the openness and collaborative spirit of directors like the Weitz brothers and Kevin Smith as formative:
  • “There was never a cockiness...I’m inviting all of you to teach me and show me...” (101:17)
  • “I didn’t want to fake it till you make it...I’d rather come into it and say, there are things I don’t know and I need you guys to teach me.” (101:52)
  • “Once the actors were sort of comfortable, they trusted them to contribute in the way that they, you know...” (102:55)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |---|---|---| | 07:08 | Danielle | “That would be a great little short documentary. If we film the three of us going to camp. Theater camp.” | | 09:19 | Will | “The great part about my plan is I’m just going to keep pushing it off until eventually it’s canceled. So that’s the joy.” | | 18:04 | Jason | “My parents thought, you know, okay, this would be a good way to save money for college...then I was five and got a call from the same manager and just started going out.” | | 25:38 | Jason | “I’ve been carrying this nugget for so long.” (Parking lot story) | | 26:11 | Danielle | “So you’re 12 when you book Drexel’s class. How big of a deal is this in the Biggs household?” | | 40:09 | Jason | “Me and David Krumholtz...he would do homework in Act 1, I’d do mine in Act 2. Then curtain call.” (On balancing Broadway and school) | | 44:10 | Jason | “She decided to start working nights so she could take me on auditions.” (On his mother’s sacrifice) | | 53:47 | Jason | “I had to kiss these four actresses...It was my first kiss. Okay?” | | 57:01 | Jason | “You were my first, two, or second, third or fourth...all within about 10 minutes.” | | 69:36 | Jason | “We did it two different ways...Which one of these is going to be funnier?” (Filming the pie scene) | | 71:45 | Jason | “Two thrusts is an R, but three thrusts is an NC-17.” | | 72:44 | Serena (via Ryder’s recounting); Jason | “That was for comedy. Yeah, that was totally fine. If I have to be sexy, that’s a whole different type of pressure.” ... “I always sort of thought, Oh, I’ll do anything for a joke.” | | 74:05 | Jason | “I shot the scene, we did one take...the entire crew burst out laughing...that was the moment...I think this movie’s going to be something.” | | 84:49 | Jason | “I started getting recognized from the [red band] trailer... that was the first time where I...thought, ‘Oh. I think this is not only something special and good, but could be something beyond any of our sort of...’” | | 91:14 | Jason | “There are definitely roles I did not get and continue to not get because I’m Jim in American Pie...but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” | | 94:51 | Jason | “I think if we were to do one right now, it would be, I’m Eugene, Eugene is the grandfather, my son, and then you kind of pass it off to the next generation.” | | 95:04 | Jason | “The only question that I can answer with full confidence is...would I do it? And the answer is, yeah, of course.” | | 101:17 | Jason | “There was never a cockiness...I’m inviting all of you to teach me and show me.” (on the Weitz brothers and directing style) | | 102:55 | Jason | “Once the actors were sort of comfortable, they trusted them to contribute in the way that they, you know...” |

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 09:19 – End of opening banter and scenarios
• 17:28 – Danielle’s intro to Jason Biggs
• 18:04 – Jason on family and entering showbiz
• 24:05 – CBS parking lot revelation
• 26:11 – Booking and loss of Drexel’s Class
• 39:01 – Broadway debut and childhood schedule
• 47:40 – Auditioning for/landing As the World Turns, first on-screen kiss
• 62:23 – American Pie audition
• 69:36–75:12 – Filming the pie scene, comedy/nudity, and ratings
• 82:23 – American Pie release, instant fame
• 87:02 – LA party era, friendship stories
• 91:14 – Pigeonholing and career perspective
• 93:19 – Sequel rumors & generational “Pie” discussion
• 95:47 – Directing “Untitled Home Invasion Romance” and mentors
• 101:17 – Directing philosophy and gratitude

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains a warm, candid, irreverent tone—filled with affectionate ribbing, nostalgia, and heartfelt appreciation for their shared histories. Jason comes across as self-effacing, funny, and grateful, with a clear-eyed view of fame’s ups and downs. There are plenty of laughs, industry in-jokes, and moments of real connection between the hosts and Jason.

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Conclusion

This rich, highly entertaining episode is as much about the bonds formed among young actors in a unique era as it is about Jason Biggs’s unusual career trajectory. Fans get insight into the realities of child acting, the craziness of late-‘90s Hollywood, and the perennial challenge of typecasting—plus, a peek into what’s next as Jason moves behind the camera. And yes, the pie scene lives on in newly memorable ways.

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Notable Call To Action:
Jason’s directorial debut Untitled Home Invasion Romance is available on demand—rent or purchase on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, or YouTube.

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Transcript

[Jason Biggs]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

When we were kids, we thought adulthood meant having everything figured out.

[Will Friedle]

Like we'd wake up at 30 and suddenly understand taxes, health insurance and how to fold a fitted sheet.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

I just wish I had someone to make insurance simple.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

So I woke up this morning to a message from Danielle which was Instagram. Did you get this weird will.

[Jason Biggs]

She sends it all of us.

[Ryder Strong]

She sends this Instagram, which is a guy doing an impression of the ensemble in a musical, which is just him like clapping and doing his like, we're with you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Relax guys.

[Ryder Strong]

He sings one line and he's. And it's basically all theater kid energy, which is Danielle's least favorite thing in the world. And it's like the essence of theater kid energy, distiller build. So I'm laughing. I'm literally in bed. This is the first thing I do this morning. I pull this and I'm laughing at that. I put the phone down and my son bursts into the room.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh no.

[Ryder Strong]

Wrapped in a blanket like a cloak. And just comes at me with theater kid energy.

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

And what he's immediately riffing on. He's so excited to wake me up and riff on. We've got our new version of some friend you turned out to be Sebastian. You remember this?

[Jason Biggs]

Of course.

[Danielle Fishel]

What is it?

[Ryder Strong]

Some friend you turned out to be Sebastian. What's that? In the road ahead. So the next is there's a sushi restaurant that we've gone to that's like a hand roll place. It's delicious and it's called you know me. Y, O, N, O, M, I. Okay, so maybe it's pronounced you know me. I don't know you know me. And we are now trying to just constantly come up with more riffs on different intonations interpretations of these three.

[Jason Biggs]

Syll.

[Will Friedle]

Would you like to take a stab,

[Ryder Strong]

either one of you?

[Will Friedle]

I already know mine. Because you've forgotten this was started by Yolanda Omi. So it's Y. Omi is what it is. That's the name.

[Danielle Fishel]

What?

[Will Friedle]

The Y is just an initial.

[Ryder Strong]

What we're trying to do is just take the existing syllables. You know me, right? And are there different variations on how to. So you could say, you know my.

[Will Friedle]

You know my. You know me.

[Ryder Strong]

You no, me, me.

[Jason Biggs]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

So you just keep going, you know me.

[Danielle Fishel]

You know me.

[Will Friedle]

Yes, that's a good one. Nice, nice.

[Ryder Strong]

So Indy's most brilliant one is you, gnome.

[Jason Biggs]

That's a good one. That's a good one.

[Ryder Strong]

Anyway, theater kid energy. Morning, guys.

[Will Friedle]

Well, this is, I don't know if you remember what I sent to everybody was I found Danielle's ultimate retreat and I sent it. Oh yeah. Which was the you can go to an adult theater camp. And so it's everybody. Like you saw all these people in their 30s and 40s dancing to. We're all in this together so bad.

[Ryder Strong]

And yet I would care so much. You will would think it's hysterical, but commit and actually like get the starring role and like actually win the camp, whatever that is.

[Will Friedle]

If I'm not Zac Efron, you'd win

[Ryder Strong]

the Oscar by the end.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right? And I would so overstimulated the whole time and I would be like, oh my God.

[Ryder Strong]

But come on, that would be a great little short documentary. If we film the three of us going to camp. Theater camp.

[Danielle Fishel]

It really would, it would, it would.

[Will Friedle]

Oh man, I, I, but what I'm looking forward to is the drama. The theater kid camp drama. Oh God, I love it. Did you see how Becky looked at me? She doesn't deserve that part. Oh my God, it would be oh, so, so delicious.

[Ryder Strong]

More intense among 40 year olds or. Yes, it's probably way worse, right?

[Will Friedle]

Absolutely. Because it's real, Ryder.

[Ryder Strong]

It's real.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh my God. Another thing that would just make me want to kill everyone. Be like, are you kidding me? What are you, you're over here talking. Get your life together. You're 40.

[Will Friedle]

It would be the best.

[Danielle Fishel]

I would have no patience.

[Will Friedle]

But, but until day two when Danielle walks over and just starts talking about all the.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes. Or when she doesn't get the lead part, she'll just be like.

[Will Friedle]

Wait, hold on, hold on.

[Ryder Strong]

I was on Dancing with the Stars.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't know this, but I came in eighth. I came in eighth place on Dancing with Stars.

[Ryder Strong]

There was a dancing component, which there probably would be at a theater camp.

[Will Friedle]

You'd kill it. You'd kill it.

[Ryder Strong]

You'd be into that.

[Will Friedle]

They'd give the role to Bonnie Morgan, though, unfortunately. So.

[Jason Biggs]

But that would be amazing.

[Will Friedle]

That would be so funny.

[Jason Biggs]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

We're going, we're going.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, okay. You know what? God, I don't know why I like to do things that torture me, but with you guys, it somehow ends up being fun.

[Ryder Strong]

If it was like a. Like a two day experience. But if we're talking like multiple weeks.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, I'm not committing to. Yeah, no, we're not putting on an

[Danielle Fishel]

actual anywhere for a couple of weeks.

[Will Friedle]

No. Not going on the road. But here's what we'll do. We'll. We'll go two days a weekend to the adult theater camp. And then to do something fun for Danielle, we'll do a weekend at the Porsche racing school.

[Jason Biggs]

Great.

[Danielle Fishel]

I like that. That's. That would be fun.

[Will Friedle]

And then for me, we'll do a weekend where we just smoke weed and watch movies.

[Danielle Fishel]

Honestly, I'm down for all of this.

[Will Friedle]

So there you go.

[Danielle Fishel]

Maybe not all in the same month.

[Will Friedle]

No, no, we'll break it up. We'll break it up. And the great part about my plan is I'm just going to keep pushing it off until eventually it's canceled. So that's the. Joy.

[Ryder Strong]

Can't get on my couch this weekend.

[Jason Biggs]

Just do it, guys. Sorry.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my God. The three of us being super high would be a pretty good episode.

[Danielle Fishel]

That would be a pretty funny episode. I mean, that's somebody. Somebody's dream. Blunt rotation or nightmare. One of the two.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly. Well, I just keep passing to myself.

[Danielle Fishel]

Welcome to Pod Meets World. I'm Danielle Fishel.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm Ryder Strong.

[Will Friedle]

And I'm Will Friedel. Hi, this is Ryder Strong and Will Friedle from Pod Meets World.

[Ryder Strong]

When I think of important phone calls, I think about one from 30 years ago that changed my life forever. I remember getting word that I was cast on a new Friday night sitcom called Boy Meets World in a phone call from the agent. And the rest is history.

[Will Friedle]

Well, did you know that 2026 will mark the 150th anniversary of the first ever phone call? It took place on March 10, 1876.

[Ryder Strong]

And from the call that sparked it all. From the first long distance phone lines

[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

You hang up first.

[Ryder Strong]

No, you hang up first.

[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Jason Biggs]

AT&T.

[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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That's redfin.com Cat parents, gather round.

[Danielle Fishel]

Ryder and I have some important advice to share.

[Ryder Strong]

Guys, we have to stick together. Guys. Those of us with fur babies know the struggle. We understand the feeling of being ignored by our cats.

[Danielle Fishel]

But that's why we're here to help. Because sometimes I find myself wondering, does my cat even love me?

[Ryder Strong]

And there's only one solution to solve that. Sheba.

[Danielle Fishel]

You could be adored by everyone and still completely ignored by your cat.

[Ryder Strong]

It's time to feed your cat Sheba and go from feeling ignored to truly adored in 12 days, guaranteed or your money back.

[Danielle Fishel]

The promised land is here. Turn things around for your feline with Sheba's menu of products, appetizers, entrees, treats and even a kitten's menu.

[Ryder Strong]

Even the pickiest eater will love their new grilled entrees.

[Danielle Fishel]

Just snap, peel and serve for two gourmet servings and zero messy leftovers.

[Ryder Strong]

Its protein rich formula is made with real chicken and seafood, 100% complete and balanced with essential vitamins and nutrients for adult cats.

[Danielle Fishel]

Which my bill is. But we don't call him old, we call him experienced.

[Ryder Strong]

It's made in the USA with the finest ingredients from around the world.

[Danielle Fishel]

No artificial flavors or preservatives. No corn, wheat or soy.

[Ryder Strong]

So even when they're licking the bowl clean, you can know you're doing the right thing.

[Danielle Fishel]

Treat your cats right and introduce them to the delicious delicacies of Sheba.

[Ryder Strong]

To learn more, check out shiba.com youm

[Will Friedle]

know those little moments at home that just work?

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, like having a hook that's actually right where you need it a

[Will Friedle]

vanity where everything finally has a place

[Ryder Strong]

or a faucet that fills your pot right on the stove.

[Will Friedle]

That's what Signature Hardware is all about. Style and function in every detail from

[Ryder Strong]

the kitchen to the bathroom. They help you finish your space beautifully.

[Will Friedle]

Check them [e-mail] or visit your local Ferguson showroom.

[Ryder Strong]

Signature Hardware Create your signature style.

[Danielle Fishel]

At the turn of the 21st century, the end of human existence loomed. In the near future. The threat of a computer virus called Y2K would allegedly not only shut down all of our computers, but in turn erase your identity, crash every plane in the air at midnight, and turn your vacuum against you. An aura of paranoia and fear clouded what was meant to be a momentous occasion. But thankfully, we did have one moment in 1999 pop culture that America agreed to unanimously celebrate for its optimism, artistic merit and promise for the future. That moment was Jason Biggs having sex with a pie. The New Jersey native started acting at just five years old. A veteran of national commercials by the time he booked his first TV gig at 13, Fox's Drexel's Class, a sitcom that received the common doomed fate of just one season. For the next few years, he'd jump around TV shows like as the World Turns and Total Security until he was given the script that changed everything. In the era of Eminem, shock jocks and celebrity deathmatch came the cinematic equivalent, the teen sex comedy To Rule Them All, American Pie. He'd quickly turn into an international superstar not only for the multi movie franchise that American Pie would become, but for movies like Loser, Saving Silverman and anything else. He'd long outlived the success of hard R comedies popping up on the Netflix defining Orange Is the New Black, voicing Leonardo on the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV show and living within the Kevin Smith Askewniverse. But now, with rumors of a new American Pie movie swirling, he moved behind the camera to direct himself in the film Untitled Home Invasion Romance, taking matters into his own hands and helming the projects he wants to make. And today he will sit down with us to talk about what the eye of the American Pie storm was like for him and what 40 years in the business looks like in 2026. Welcome to Pod Meets World. The legendary Jason Biggs. Hi.

[Will Friedle]

Hello.

[Jason Biggs]

Well, hello. Hey everybody. How are you guys?

[Danielle Fishel]

We are great. Thank you so much for coming on. We are excited to talk to you about your new movie. But first I want to jump into some late 90s early aughts stardom because when in Rome, right?

[Jason Biggs]

Sure you know, one does. Yeah, of course.

[Danielle Fishel]

Now, growing up in New Jersey, how does a five year old start in the entertainment industry? I imagine you with like a little cigar looking for representation. How far off am I?

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, and a little suit and a hat. I. My older sister, who's seven years my senior, she was in this little dance group in Jersey. We grew up about eight miles from Manhattan, so really close yet so far away. And. And a lot of the girls, though, they were really talented and they would kind of travel around and they had some measure of success by, you know, New Jersey dance group standards, I suppose. And. But because of, you know, New York being right there, a lot of these little precocious girls, their mom started taking them into the city to get agents and managers and try to, you know, do broad or whatever it was, commercials, what have you, etc. And so my sister started doing that. She, she had, you know, got an agent and manager and stuff. And my parents thought, you know, okay, this would be a good way to save money for college kind of thing. So she started. And then I was five and got a call from the same manager and you know, just started going out. And then at one point my younger sister was doing it as well, so it was the three of us, but. But they kind of stopped as they got a little older and yeah, I just kept doing it. And you guys are all kid actors, right? You all are, Yeah. I mean, obviously you guys were. At minimum, you guys even started before the show. I know you guys were doing it.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, but actually we were.

[Jason Biggs]

You guys all LA though.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I was in New York. So I'm guessing there were times where you and. Because you and I, I think, are similar in age. So I'm guessing that you and I were probably at a whole bunch of the same places at the same time.

[Jason Biggs]

I'm gonna throw a couple names at you.

[Will Friedle]

Oh God.

[Jason Biggs]

Three of us studios.

[Will Friedle]

Oh God, of course.

[Jason Biggs]

Three of us in Chelsea. 12th floor. Oldest elevators wouldn't work. Slowest elevators.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, they were great. Oh, that was always the best. When you book something in New York and you had to go get a. A wardrobe fitting down at the docks. Yeah, at the time those were fun. And then shooting something at Unitel, I don't know, Unitl Video.

[Jason Biggs]

Unitel. Yeah. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

So that's where I started too. Was like I was from Connecticut, so it was that same, that same Tri State area energy.

[Jason Biggs]

Yep, exactly, exactly. And you were similar to me too, because I knew there was all these city kids, right? The city kid actors that were like going to professional children's school and they would take the subway with their buddies to the audition. And then you and me would come in on our parents minivan and we'd get dropped off and we'd go upstairs and audition. And then we get back down and we wait on the curb for our mom to circle the block. Does this sound familiar, Will?

[Ryder Strong]

I wish.

[Will Friedle]

I wish that's what it was. Both my parents worked so much, I was dropped off at the bus station in Connecticut and driven to Port Authority on a three hour bus ride down and three hour bus ride back twice a week. Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

Damn. Yeah, he was grizzled.

[Will Friedle]

You might as well have been in a limo, Jason. My God.

[Jason Biggs]

Ooh la la.

[Danielle Fishel]

Minivan.

[Jason Biggs]

Your parents loved you.

[Ryder Strong]

Must have been nice.

[Jason Biggs]

Must be nice. Big. Must be nice to be an outlier at such a young age.

[Will Friedle]

Wait, eight miles from Manhattan, were you? Hobo.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, gosh, Drop. I can't believe I thought we were

[Will Friedle]

going to get out of dropping a pin to know exactly where you were.

[Danielle Fishel]

Loves locations.

[Jason Biggs]

So Bergen County. So Hoboken is like one mile. I mean, that is right there. So just a little further in, like the town is called Hasbrouck Heights.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I know, I know.

[Ryder Strong]

Habsburg Heights.

[Jason Biggs]

Giant Stadium. Giant Stadium. Like in the shadows of Giant Stadium.

[Ryder Strong]

Does this mean when you did Drexel's class, were you the New York kid who came out for the network test?

[Danielle Fishel]

Because there wasn't always one.

[Will Friedle]

Always the one out of us flown out.

[Ryder Strong]

You're like, oh, they flew him out from New York. He's gonna get it. You were that guy, weren't you?

[Jason Biggs]

Yep, I was that guy. Actually. I was the guy. And Brittany Murphy was that girl.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, yeah. So it was me and Brittany. Brittany was from Edison, New Jersey, a couple miles further south. And she and I, that was both of our, like, first big L A job and we both came out. But yeah, I was the one New York guy and she was the one New York, you know, girl in the cast.

[Will Friedle]

And yeah, I remember Drexel's class. Drexel's class was the show that like everybody our age wanted to audition for.

[Danielle Fishel]

It was Matthew Lawrence show.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah. And Matt and Matthew Lawrence and. And AJ Langer, who.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, my God, aj. You know, she's royalty now. Literally royalty.

[Jason Biggs]

She married a prince, right?

[Will Friedle]

She married like a prince or something.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Will Friedle]

She has like a title and all this kind of stuff.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Crazy.

[Jason Biggs]

Yep. That's so funny. And actually Drexel's class, so. Drexel's class was in 91. And it shot on what was at the time, as you guys know very well, Mary Tyler Moore, cbs Mary Tyler Moore. Because that's where you guys shot.

[Will Friedle]

Correct. For two years.

[Jason Biggs]

Oh, only for two years. What was when I was doing drugs. We did one season of that and it was canned. But. But I remember, Ryder. My parking space. Not that I was driving, but me and my mom are. The mini limo, van. Our limo, minivan. It was either near you or I remember.

[Ryder Strong]

Did you take my parking spot? You blocked it one day.

[Jason Biggs]

I'm sure I blocked it. Sure, I blocked it. But I remember walking past and at this point, you guys were big. And I remember, like, walking past and seeing. You know how they used to have the slide, the name plates in. Right. The black and white typing. And I saw Ryder Strong, and I was like, whoa. And you must be. Are you maybe a couple years older than me?

[Danielle Fishel]

I think so.

[Jason Biggs]

Oh, no.

[Danielle Fishel]

Also, were you saying it was 91?

[Jason Biggs]

So it couldn't have been because you guys. Were you guys on in 91?

[Will Friedle]

No, 93.

[Jason Biggs]

Okay, okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

Who was the celebrity? I'm dying to know.

[Jason Biggs]

It was Ryder. So hold on, hold on, hold on. So let me think about what else I did on cbs. Mary Tyler Moore. It must have been a pilot that I did. Okay, so it was in Dressel's class, but it was in the later 90s.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, it would have been 95 or 96.

[Jason Biggs]

Okay, thank you. So I did a pilot and I came out and I walked past Ryder's parking space. Did you have a BMW Z4?

[Will Friedle]

Sure.

[Ryder Strong]

It was an M roadster. It was an M roadster. The M version of the Z3.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

Huh. Did you get into an accident, perhaps?

[Will Friedle]

Oh, no, you're talking about my M3.

[Ryder Strong]

No, no, no. My.

[Jason Biggs]

Did you crash yours?

[Will Friedle]

My car.

[Jason Biggs]

It was a Z. It was a Z. Cars. Some. I remember walking past Ryder Strong's parking space with a Z3 Roadster in the parking space and seeing, I believe, on the front of the hood there being a big dent. And I remember thinking, God, Ryder's a driver. No, I'm a good friend.

[Ryder Strong]

I wrecked my car to a friend who totaled it. Like, oh, no, no, my buddy Sean wrecked my car.

[Jason Biggs]

That is funny. So it was you. So it wasn't 91. It wasn't when I was doing justice class. It was another time I was on Mary Tyler Moore whenever that was.

[Ryder Strong]

I am a pretty driver, though. I'm not gonna lie.

[Will Friedle]

But just a cop magnet. It's so weird. They Never carry drugs while driving with Ryder Strong. It's a good. A good rule of thumb.

[Danielle Fishel]

Unless I'm.

[Jason Biggs]

Let's see if. Then we're fine.

[Will Friedle]

Topanga gets you out of all tickets. You're good.

[Jason Biggs]

So funny. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember it. I've clearly never forgotten it. So funny. Yeah. And I've always wanted to tell you that story. And I thought. I remember we went to a wedding together.

[Will Friedle]

Our friends.

[Jason Biggs]

We had a mutual friend. Sasha.

[Ryder Strong]

Yep.

[Jason Biggs]

And I. Maybe I didn't tell you then, but I've always been. I've been carrying this nugget for so long.

[Danielle Fishel]

So exciting. I feel like I really just witnessed something good. Like, I can tell that your. Your soul feels better cleansed having gotten that story.

[Jason Biggs]

When Jensen asked me to do the. Was like, oh, will I ever

[Danielle Fishel]

see

[Ryder Strong]

three story for a while.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah. I've been wondering when I was going to unleash this on the world.

[Danielle Fishel]

So you're 12 when you book Drexel's class. How big of a deal is this in the Biggs household?

[Jason Biggs]

It was a. It was a pretty big deal. I mean, it was our first. It was my. So. So before that, you know, I had always. All the New York. Will. You can relate. All the New York kid actors were always like, please take me out for pilot. Mom, dad, please take me out. And my parents were like, no, like, if you're supposed to be on a show that shoots in L. A. You'll audition for it here and book it. And I was like, no, we got to be out there. We got to be out there. Please just. You know, she's like, I'm not. We're not taking a month off of work and school for you to go live in the Oakwood. And it's not happening. Yeah. And. And so I did book it out of New York, but it was like the biggest deal. So it was my first time coming to la. That was my first time in la. And it was like. Like the greatest thing. So my mom and I came out and. And yeah, it was a. It was a. It was a big. It was a big deal and it was super fun. And it was. You know, we. We shot. Remember those three back. The. The Box Studios in the. Back by the river was. Seinfeld was in the middle. I believe we're on the. On the. Wherever one Seinfeld was in.

[Will Friedle]

Yep.

[Jason Biggs]

We were next to Seinfeld for that one season. And I wasn't yet a big Seinfeld fan. It was like their third season. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

I was gonna say it's early. It was early days. The second or third season in 91

[Jason Biggs]

and I was 12. I didn't quite understand it, but I went in. Me and Matthew and Joey Lawrence went in. We like kind of walked in next door one day when they were filming and they kind of let us in and it was. It was the coolest thing. So I was like, wow, this set is so cool. It's a giant parking garage. And years later, you know, I was like, oh, my God, I saw the parking garage episode being filmed, like, which is like one of the all time classic Seinfeld.

[Will Friedle]

It's actually the one that they credit for becoming. The first episode that really felt like Seinfeld to the whole cast was the park. They all back to the parking garage.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah. It's amazing. Yeah. Me, Joey and Matthew

[Will Friedle]

sneaking out of the Seinfeld set. It's such a young Hollywood story from the 90s. Just the best.

[Jason Biggs]

Oh, God, yeah. But anyway, yeah, Daniel, it was a. It was a big deal.

[Danielle Fishel]

A big deal for you.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, well.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then unfortunately it's ends up on the receiving end of a first season cancellation. Do you remember feeling devastated or did you have some sort of understanding that this is just the business?

[Jason Biggs]

Both. That's a really good question because I might. I certainly. It was my. The guy booked some national commercials that. Right. That were like, whoa, this is so cool. And so I'd seen myself on TV and my friends and like, it felt like a big, big deal. And they were, of course, you know, but this was like, whoa, a TV show. This is, you know, on Fox and there's commercials and it's after the Simpsons and before 90210, which, by the way, you have to really suck if you're put on after the. Between The Simpsons and 90210 and you get canceled after 13 episodes.

[Ryder Strong]

Did it suck? Have you watched it?

[Will Friedle]

Oh, yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

It's terrible.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Was Dabney cool back then to work with? Because I worked with him not longer.

[Ryder Strong]

Really.

[Will Friedle]

He wasn't. He was so nice to me.

[Jason Biggs]

Was he?

[Will Friedle]

He was so sweet to me.

[Jason Biggs]

Well, you know what, here's the thing. So. So. And this ties into Danielle's question a little bit. So. So right before I booked Drexel's Class, I had done a play called Conversations with My Father at the Seattle Repertory Theater for a couple of months. And it was with Judd Hirsch and Shalob and really cool cast. And that was kind of like a big deal job for me and lived in Seattle for a couple of months and they were talking about bringing it back to Broadway soon after that, and they wanted me to reprise my role. But then Drexel's class happened, and it was this. You know, I wasn't sure if I was going to be available or not. And Judd Hirsch was doing his final season of Dear John on the Paramount lot. At the same time, I was doing my first and last season of Drexel's class, and his series ended, and I left after 13 episodes. And the timing worked out that he was like, okay, I'm gonna go do Broadway. And I was able to go do it as well. So because of Drexel's class being canceled, I was able to. I was able to make my Broadway debut. So it was this bummer. It was a bummer. It was a high becoming a low, but then becoming a high again, all in a matter of weeks. Exactly. And so to tie into Dabney, you know, Judd is like, one of the greatest guys all time.

[Will Friedle]

I did a show with Judd, too. Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

Very good guy. And so I came from doing this show with Judd and having a real. He was. You know, he's very avuncular. He was kind of a second dad vibe to me. You know, I was 12, you know, and. And Dabney was. Again, maybe I'm. I just didn't get to know him that well. He was more standoffish. He kind of seemed a bit like the role he played, this curmudgeonly kind of teacher who didn't want to be there. He just kind of was. I don't know, in hindsight, like, he was the adult in the show. A bunch of snotty actor kids. You know what I mean? Like, I probably would have been a curmudgeon as well, but I don't know. I just got. For me, I was just like, oh, he's no Judd Hirsch.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Jason Biggs]

So I don't want to speak of the man.

[Will Friedle]

No, it wasn't warm and fuzzy, but it would be the equivalent on our set of Bill Daniels. It's what it would. Working with Dabney was like working with Bill where if you took the time to go and, like, talk to him, I mean, Dabney was like a Virginia Military Institute guy and grew up very straight laced. But when you talk to him, especially about the industry, he would love to do that. Like, you know, remember when you would actually talk to Bill about stories and you kind of open it up a little.

[Ryder Strong]

Imagine if we only did 13 episodes with Bill.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

We probably.

[Will Friedle]

Would. Probably wouldn't have gotten that.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Seriously, like, we had seven years. And that's true. That's 100% grumpy guy.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, he was just our grumpy guy. He was just our grumpy, soft underbelly

[Ryder Strong]

enough at that point that we were like, it's fine, you know, but it was.

[Will Friedle]

It was probably 15 years later, after I'd worked with Dabney, that I was walking on Warner Brothers, and I walked by a trailer and the door was open, and I saw him, and I was like, I should. I should say hi. Like, he'll never remember me. We did a film together, but. And I knocked in the trailer. I was like, Mr. Coleman, I don't. And he turned around and went, well, no way. And I walked in and I sat in his trailer for like an hour and we talked again. So it was like. Maybe it was that moment that cemented it for me more than actually working with him, but it was.

[Jason Biggs]

That's the.

[Will Friedle]

The best person to equate it to.

[Jason Biggs]

You're right.

[Will Friedle]

If we had 13 episodes with Bill Daniels, we probably walked away and been like, he was just an old. Kind of. A little bit. Yeah. And so maybe if. Yeah, had Drexel's class gone seven years, it might have been.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, you might have had. But you know what? I thank you for telling me that story because it's like I've really spent, you know, however many years since 91, for the most part, if people ask, going, yeah, he's not that great a guy. When actually I just, you know, got a, you know, a quick little glimpse of him. So I certainly like hearing, like, hearing

[Will Friedle]

that, yeah, he's an interesting dude.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's talk about modern home shopping.

[Will Friedle]

It's sort of becoming like a fun side hobby, right?

[Ryder Strong]

Scrolling listings at night, dreaming about kitchens you haven't seen or backyards you haven't stepped foot in, all from the comfort of, well, literally anywhere.

[Danielle Fishel]

Redfin knows a lot of people like you want to own but are stuck in this browsing mode loop.

[Will Friedle]

That's where Redfin flips the script.

[Ryder Strong]

With listings that update within minutes, and tours you can book right from the Redfin app, you can see your dream home the moment it appears.

[Danielle Fishel]

Now, liking a listing is easy, but actually landing it, that's where Redfin comes in.

[Will Friedle]

Redfin has over 2200 agents with local

[Ryder Strong]

expertise, and Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents.

[Danielle Fishel]

That means they help you win, not just window shops.

[Will Friedle]

Redfin is built to help you go from just looking to wait. This could actually be home.

[Ryder Strong]

So become the newest neighbor on the block.

[Danielle Fishel]

Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning.

[Will Friedle]

That's redfin.com Cat parents, gather round.

[Danielle Fishel]

Ryder and I have some important advice to share.

[Ryder Strong]

Guys, we have to stick together. Guys. Those of us with fur babies know the struggle. We understand the feeling of being ignored by our cats.

[Danielle Fishel]

But that's why we're here to help. Because sometimes I find myself wondering, does my cat even love me?

[Ryder Strong]

And there's only one solution to solve that. Sheba.

[Danielle Fishel]

You could be adored by everyone and still completely ignored by your cat.

[Ryder Strong]

It's time to feed your cat, Sheba and go from feeling ignored to truly adored in 12 days, guaranteed or your money back.

[Danielle Fishel]

The promised land is here. Turn things around for your feline with Sheba's menu of products, appetizers, entrees, treats, and even a kitten's menu.

[Ryder Strong]

Even the pickiest eater will love their new grilled entrees.

[Danielle Fishel]

Just snap, peel and serve for two gourmet servings and zero messy leftovers.

[Ryder Strong]

Its protein rich formula is made with real chicken and seafood, 100% complete and balanced with essential vitamins and nutrients for adult cats.

[Danielle Fishel]

Which my bill is. But we don't call him old, we call him experienced.

[Ryder Strong]

It's made in the USA with the finest ingredients from around the world.

[Danielle Fishel]

No artificial flavors or preservatives. No corn, wheat or soy.

[Ryder Strong]

So even when they're licking the bowl clean, you can know you're doing the right thing.

[Danielle Fishel]

Treat your cats right and introduce them to the delicious delicacies of Sheba.

[Ryder Strong]

To learn more, check out shiba.com youm

[Will Friedle]

know those little moments at home that just work?

[Ryder Strong]

Mean? Like having a hook that's actually right where you need it.

[Will Friedle]

A vanity where everything finally has a

[Ryder Strong]

place or a faucet that fills your pot right on the stove.

[Will Friedle]

That's what Signature Hardware is all about. Style and function in every detail from

[Ryder Strong]

the kitchen to the bathroom. They help you finish your space beautifully.

[Will Friedle]

Check them [e-mail] or visit your local Ferguson showroom.

[Ryder Strong]

Signature Hardware Create your signature style all right, important question. If you saw a sandwich on a deli menu called the Feeney, what's on it?

[Danielle Fishel]

Obviously something wise. I'm thinking Dietz and Watson Oven Classic Turkey because it's classic, dependable, and it makes you feel like you should have studied harder before lunch.

[Will Friedle]

I'm adding the Black Forest Uncured ham smoked the Old World way with cracked pepper and sea salt. And when the sandwich arrives, it has to yell Mr. Matthews at the table.

[Danielle Fishel]

And Dietz and Watson does not Cut corners. They've been handcrafting premium deli meats and artisan cheeses for over 85 years. Just like Feeny had been with us since sixth grade.

[Will Friedle]

They're family owned, always doing things the right way, even when it's the hard way.

[Ryder Strong]

They actually sent us some of their stuff. And I've been loving the flavored cheddar cheeses. Real New York state cheddar, small batch, super creamy. It's dangerous how fast it disappears.

[Will Friedle]

In my house, I've been making breakfast with their chicken sausage. No antibiotics ever. No nitrates or nitrites added. It is so good, I'm thinking of opening a diner or something to just eat them there.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's the whole point. They know good taste doesn't need a long list of ingredients.

[Ryder Strong]

Simply made.

[Danielle Fishel]

Simple as that.

[Will Friedle]

Visit dietzenwatson.com therightway to learn more about the dietzdiffren.

[Danielle Fishel]

You know, when we were kids, adulthood looked easy. Like you just show up to work and be fully formed, organized, with a filing cabinet and a briefcase.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I definitely thought by now I'd understand taxes and own a label maker. Instead, I'm still googling things like do cats have a soul? And what is liability?

[Ryder Strong]

Then imagine you start your own small business, whole new level. There's so much no one prepares you for. Honestly, I wish I'd had someone back then who could just, just simplify insurance. Just make it easy.

[Danielle Fishel]

And that's what the Hartford does. They were one of the very first insurance companies to build a dedicated small business unit over 40 years ago. And today they insure more than 1 million small businesses across America.

[Will Friedle]

And they understand that no two businesses are alike. Whether you're running a retail shop, a hair salon, or working in financial services or tech, the Hartford makes it simple to get a customized quote.

[Ryder Strong]

You can call them direct or go online and get a quote in just a few minutes. And protecting your business means protecting the thing you've poured your heart into. From accidents, natural disasters, professional errors, even workers comp claims.

[Danielle Fishel]

So if you're building something you love and you want to better protect it, the Hartford is the team you want behind you. Get a quote [e-mail] small business. So you make your Broadway debut as a. I mean a teenager. You're 13 years old, right? At this point.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

What is it like now, doing eight shows a week with the heavy hitters that you mentioned? Were you intimidated at all or did you have a lot of confidence?

[Jason Biggs]

I think I was too young and naive to be like as intimidated you know, I remember I. I remember the opening night being kind of nervous, but not, I don't know, maybe because I had also done it in Seattle prior, but 10 years later, I did the Graduate on Broadway, which Ryder. Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Yep. I did the tour for.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, you did the tour. Which. We should talk about that. But I remember doing that 10 years after conversations with my father and being so incredibly nervous and. I don't know, I mean, look, you're stepping into it. It's obviously, it's the Benjamin Braddock role. It's a different thing. I've now achieved some sort of fame. There's people actually there to see me. There's a different kind of pressure. There's all this. But, like, there is something to be said for when you're. That when you're young, just having no sense of. You're like, oh, whatever. I just really. I just want to, you know. Yeah. You know, do this thing and then, you know, go home and, you know, I recorded my favorite Saturday morning show that I want to watch and just like your thing, you're just. The things you think about are too.

[Will Friedle]

You're too naive to be nervous. Isn't it the best? You want to just go back to that.

[Ryder Strong]

Anxiety doesn't really exist, you know, if you're lucky.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, obviously not for every kid, but I feel like anxiety didn't enter my life until I was in my 20s, you know, exactly. Like, it was like the idea of like sitting and stewing or worrying about somebody's like, well, you either do it or you don't.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, no, that's. That's exactly right. Yeah. So. But, yeah, but it was definitely. I mean, I will say it was. It was a crazy schedule because I was still going to school. And so. So it was, you know, you do the eight shows from the. You know, I wake up in the morning, I'd go to school. Right. And then after school, come home, do homework, get in my mom's limo minivan, drive through Lincoln Tunnel traffic, get to the city, do the play. It was a three hour play. I wasn't in the second act. I wasn't in the second act, but I had to stay for curtain call. So me and David Krumholtz. Who? Dave. Dave wasn't in the Act 1 and I wasn't in Act 2. So we would basically. He would do his homework in Act 1 and I would do my homework in Act 2. And then we'd do curtain call. Leaving the theater district at 11pm, getting home at like 11:30 midnight. Going to sleep, getting up and going to school again. And on Wednesdays, Wednesdays leave school early, a little bit early to do the two show day. And then the weekends would come from school, but you know, would have four shows in the. And then the weekend from the theater was Monday and all the adults were like, oh, I'm so excited to have off tomorrow. And I'd be like, school full day. Yeah. And then the summer, you know, it was through the summer too. So even when all my friends were like off.

[Will Friedle]

So how long did you do? How long did you maintain the year? Oh my God.

[Jason Biggs]

It was, it was basically, it was basically all of eighth grade. So it was like the, basically the beginning of eighth grade. I was doing Drexel's class at that fall. And then I came back to Jersey and I, I did all of, I did the, the play for almost basically a year from like December to November the following year. So into freshman year. Into my freshman year. Yeah, it was, it was crazy. But again, like, there was no, I was also just a kid. I didn't have to. There was no other responsibility. You know.

[Will Friedle]

Was there ever any talk of maybe pulling you out of school and getting like a three hour set school, like a tutor or something? Or was that never even a question? You were just going to stay in school?

[Jason Biggs]

It was never even a question. Yeah, I think, you know, in Seattle we, I had, I had a tutor, but it was, I mean, the Washington state child raptor laws are. I don't know if they even existed. I think I literally had like a tutor for like two hours a week. I mean, it was basically like nothing. And so, yeah, we just said, you know what? I'm just going to stay in school as much as possible. And my teachers were really supportive. You know, this town is, it was, you know, right there outside the city, very busy, populated area. But the town itself that I was, that I grew up in was really small and had one high school and school. So it was like. All my teachers were very excited. I was the only one who was doing this sort of thing. So they were happy to like fax me my assignments and give me extra time if I needed it. And I was a pretty smart kid. So it was like, it wasn't, wasn't, you know, I didn't really fall behind. It also wasn't the hardest school. I mean it was, I just managed, you know, but, but it was definitely a workload. I mean, I remember.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

I mean when I tell this story now, I'm like, oh my God, I can't imagine doing something like that as an adult. Like there's no world.

[Danielle Fishel]

And that's what I wanted to ask you. Like we're thinking about the schedule for you and of course for you. It's grueling. You're in school all day. But. But wasn't your mom was a nurse, right? How was she? How is she working and managing your eight shows a week and driving you in the limo van?

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, well, first of all, when you own a limo van, it's very easy to drive. I mean, you want to drive.

[Danielle Fishel]

They're like self driving Tesla's now.

[Jason Biggs]

Practically. Practically. It's. It's, you know, it's not that hard to get her behind the wheel.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Jason Biggs]

Okay. Not a euphemism. So. So. But she. You know, when I was. I forget how old I was. It was before I did that play. So at some point when I was little, she decided to start working nights so that she could take me on auditions.

[Will Friedle]

Oh man.

[Jason Biggs]

If I had an audition, you know, so that she could be available, you know, at 3:00pm when I got out of school, if I had to go into the city for a voiceover audition. So. Wait a minute.

[Will Friedle]

I never put that together. You were the guy in the waiting room who's mom was sitting there in bloody scrubs. Now I get it. Now I know who it was.

[Danielle Fishel]

I remember you, right?

[Jason Biggs]

That's right. That's right. Yep. You thought she was auditioning for. But no, that was actually. Yeah. No, listen, you know the fun. I mean, she didn't even. This woman, she didn't even like get out of the car. I mean, I was, you know, 7 years old. She dropped me off. And this is obviously before cell phones and stuff. So like I would come down the elevator and go out to the curb and just kind of like look and just sort of wait because she would be circling the block.

[Will Friedle]

They don't understand it. I've tried to explain New York in the 80s and the 90s, like early 90s auditioning and getting dropped off and walking the city and. These are California kids, Jason. They're just. They don't get it.

[Jason Biggs]

By the way, California. I mean. Sorry. New York in the 80s was also.

[Will Friedle]

I mean, it was New York in the 80s. Yeah. It wasn't. It wasn't the Disney store in Times Square. It wasn't some hooker named Disney who didn't care that you were.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Jason Biggs]

Who wanted to take you to her store.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly. It was a different time.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, yeah, but. But no, I mean, look, I. My mom is. And look, and my dad, I mean, they're. They're. They. She. Especially during when I was doing the play, they would kind of alternate taking me into the city and stuff. So it was. Yeah, I'm forever indebted to them.

[Danielle Fishel]

It was a family sacrifice.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Was your.

[Jason Biggs]

No.

[Will Friedle]

Was your sister still dancing and doing other things at this time, or was it. Was it mainly the focus on you at this point?

[Jason Biggs]

So she was like seven years older. So. So when I'm doing conversations with my father, I am in seventh grade, she's like, yeah, she's, I think, had gone to college. She had stopped. Yeah, yeah, she had. She had sort of stopped. I think she kind of stopped when she was like, maybe 14 or something like that. And I think it was a combination of. Of her sort of wanting to. And same for my younger sister, of them sort of wanting to stop, but also just they weren't working as much. And, you know, I mean, I wanted to stop at some points. And I remember there were like two distinct times when I. When I thought, okay, this is. I, you know, I think I should stop this. I'm like, I can't hang out with friends because I'm going on some voiceover audition that I'm not even booking. Like, what am I doing? This is so lame. And then I would book the next thing, you know, and I'd be like, I'm back.

[Will Friedle]

It is. It's a golf shot. It's like playing golf. This is the worst thing in the world. Then you hit one shot, you're like, I'm coming back tomorrow.

[Jason Biggs]

I'm going pro. Yeah. So anyway, it's. Yeah, it's a drug. I mean, it's a drug. But.

[Ryder Strong]

So when did you. So this pulled you back to New York. When did you come back to LA and actually like, move, move, move to LA.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah. So that was in. In 97 then. So. So that was. Yeah. So now back to New York. This is 91, 92. And then finished the play, and then kind of had my rest of my freshman year, sophomore year in high school, auditioning. This was one of the times when I was like, you know, I was still. I was like. Like, now I'm 14, 15 years old. I'm still too young. I can't go in the city on my own, so I'm still getting driven by my mom, but I'm. I'm, like, getting older and it feels a little. And all of my friends now. Well, I really don't have friends because they've all. This is the cue the violin. This is. You know, all of my. All the friends have kind of formed their groups. Early high school, because we, you know, there were kind of middle school, two. Two smaller elementary schools come together. In middle school, all the friends started forming. I'm the kid on Broadway.

[Will Friedle]

You're describing my town. This is exactly how I grew up. It's the same thing.

[Jason Biggs]

This is, like, so funny.

[Will Friedle]

It's so weird.

[Jason Biggs]

I'm so happy to hear that. Like, this is. Yeah, because it's. It's such a weird, unique childhood. Like, it's the weirdest thing. And so. Yeah, so I was, like, spent. Spent freshman year, sophomore year, just kind of going, what am I doing? Like, I'm getting driven into the city by my mom, and I'm not booking anything, and I have no friends, and I can't play sports because God forbid I have an audition. So I'm, like, not doing anything. And I had. I got an audition for a soap opera, as the World Turns, that filmed in New York. And I'm driving into the city, and I remember telling my mom in the Toyota Previa minivan, driving in, it was like a gray, rainy. I'll never forget this. It was like a gray rainy day. Oh, and I also used to get, like, car sick to boot on top of all of this. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

So I, like, had, like a. A. Like a headache. And I was like, oh, God, I'm gonna throw up. And I'm like. I'm like, mom. I, like. I. This. I don't think I can do. I gotta. You know what? Like, I love it. I'll revisit, you know, after high school, I've. You know, but I think I'm gonna tell. Let's tell the agent. Let's just, like. I just. Let's chill on this for a little bit. This is. It's kind of embarra. I haven't worked in a year and a half. I, like, have no friends.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

I just, like, screw this. I'm gonna throw up all over your limo again. And she, to her credit, you know, was like. Because I think I was a little. I was nervous to tell her. Not that I thought she was going to not allow me. It was never that. Because I never felt she was never like, that kind of stage mom, but. But I don't know. I was just nervous to say it, maybe because I was afraid of it becoming. I don't know. I just was afraid to say. And her reaction was. She was like, okay, like, fine. Whatever you want. I mean, now, in hindsight, I'm sure she was thinking, like, I'm driving you every day.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

Excuse my language. Sorry. Like, this is crazy. Like, I'm fine.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm working nights, I'm driving you days,

[Jason Biggs]

and you're not even booking anything. Jesus. In a year and a half since you were unreal. Invested all this time and money on you. So anyway, so she was like, okay. And. And of course, that audition was for this, you know, soap opera. And I booked it, ended up doing it and did it for a year and. And was like, okay. The drug schedule, either.

[Will Friedle]

It's a crazy schedule too. Don't you do like 11 episodes in a day?

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, yeah, pretty much. So it was literally a full hour episode a day. They split it into an AM session and a PM session. They would usually give me the PM session so I could go in at like, 1. I'd still, like, leave school early. But again, I was still only 15, so I'd have to, like, get my mom to try. But whatever. I was like, I was back. I actually started. I think it's at what. At some point during that year, I think I started. She must have. They must have like, signed over some sort of guardianship, I believe, to, like, one of the producers or something, so that I could. I took a. I started taking the bus. So this was also when I felt like I was starting to become a little independent as well, which was good. And so I did that for a year, then was fired. What was the. Was the only actor. I remember I was fired. So, Danielle, you were asking, like, was that crazy to, like, have that thing where like, suddenly you had this high and it was low?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

And I. I remember getting called into the executive producer's office of as the World Turns and him firing me and I'll. And being like, whoa. And thinking, am I bad? Do I like. And he was saying, you know, no, it's storyline, it's this. We're going in a different direction. All the things.

[Danielle Fishel]

All the things. Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

You know, but I remember leaving there, like, whoa. Because now I'm also old enough truly to sort of process. Yeah. And also my bulk detector is pretty good. And you know, you go, oh, maybe it is partly me. I don't. You know, maybe there is something like. It's funny there. They brought. They work. Because also earlier that season or that year, they had brought in a potential girlfriend character for me or they screen tested. This is actually a funny little aside. So they brought in four actresses for me to screen test to be my love and potential love interest. Can I tell You. A little secret. I think I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it here. I had to kiss these girls in the screen test on camera. It was my first kiss. Okay?

[Will Friedle]

So.

[Ryder Strong]

God, pressure.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah. I think I can say this because she has. Okay, you know what? I wouldn't say her name. How about this? I wouldn't say her name just in case. But I will say. Okay, so I had. I kissed these four actresses, and they were. It was my first. I never was so nervous. Okay. And. And they ended up, like, never. I think they hired one of them, but they never put us together. Like, they kind of. It ended up not being a love interest for me, so I'm like, oh, God, I must. I must be a kisser or I must suck, you know? You had no chemistry. I had no chemistry. It's me. It's me. And then. So they. Whatever. I was fired. And then like a month after that, the Emmy nominations come out, and I was the only actor nominated from the show. The only actor. Best kiss.

[Will Friedle]

Best kiss on a soap opera.

[Jason Biggs]

Well, I would later go on to win best kiss. Best kiss at the MTV Awards for my kiss with Seann William Scott in American Pie, too, of course. So you know what? You know what?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

No, wait. Were you just. Were you just not. Not back on the show or did they give you. Were you, like, killed in a tragic blimp accident or you fell down? Like, did they get you, the character killed off or.

[Jason Biggs]

Not killed off, but something just as ridiculous. My. The. The. My mom in the show and I found a suitcase of, like, $500,000 of ransom money that we decided to keep ourselves and started spending on things. There's a whole episode where I am ice skating because I decide to skates with the stolen ransom money. And it's like every kid.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's first thing every kid would do.

[Will Friedle]

Favorite thing ever.

[Jason Biggs]

So I remember. So I got nominated and whatever. It's a daytime. And I remember.

[Danielle Fishel]

Don't you dare.

[Jason Biggs]

I know, I know. But for my ego, it was like such a. Like, okay, you know what? Like, because your head. You go to the darkest places. You're like, I'm. I'm obviously terrible. Like, that's. I'm a horrible kisser. I'm a horrible actor and all this. But back to the actresses. So the four actresses, I end up one of them years later. I'm in New York, and I'm down at 14th Street Ace Station, and I'm walking, and I walk past this woman, and we kind of make eye contact and we keep walking, and then we turn around at the exact same time and we look back and we're like. And we. She was one of the actresses that I had kissed, and she's like, jason, you know, can I tell you something? I go, what? She goes. She goes, you were my first kiss. And I go. And I said to her, and I go, you were my second, third, or fourth. You were either my first, second, third, or fourth. Yes. Because I didn't remember who went first. You were either. You were my first, two or second, third or fourth.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, all within about 10 minutes.

[Jason Biggs]

All within 10 minutes. Isn't that funny? You would know her. You would know this actor. She's the sweetest, best.

[Ryder Strong]

That's like the most Hollywood kid.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I love it.

[Jason Biggs]

Right?

[Will Friedle]

Oh, that's great.

[Jason Biggs]

Anyway,

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's talk about modern home shopping.

[Will Friedle]

It's sort of becoming like a fun side hobby, right?

[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

And Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents.

[Danielle Fishel]

That means they help you win, not just window shop.

[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning.

[Will Friedle]

That's redfin.com Cat parents, gather round.

[Danielle Fishel]

Ryder and I have some important advice to share.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

But that's why we're here to help. Because sometimes I find myself wondering, does my cat even love me?

[Ryder Strong]

And there's only one solution to solve that. Sheba.

[Danielle Fishel]

You could be adored by everyone and still completely ignored by your cat.

[Jason Biggs]

Cat.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

The promised land is here. Turn things around for your feline with Sheba's menu of products, appetizers, entrees, treats, and even a kitten's menu.

[Ryder Strong]

Even the pickiest eater will love their new grilled entrees.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Treat your cats right and introduce them to the delicious delicacies of Sheba.

[Ryder Strong]

To learn more, check out sheba.com you

[Will Friedle]

know those little moments at home that just work?

[Ryder Strong]

Mean. Like having a hook that's actually right where you need it.

[Will Friedle]

A vanity where everything finally has a

[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

Signature Hardware Create your signature style all right, important question. If you saw a sandwich on a deli menu called the Feeney, what's on it?

[Danielle Fishel]

Obviously something wise. I'm thinking Dietz and Watson Oven Classic Turkey because it's classic, dependable and it makes you feel like you should have studied harder before lunch.

[Will Friedle]

I'm adding the Black Forest Uncured ham smoked the old World way with cracked pepper and sea salt. And when the sandwich arrives, it has to yell Mr. Matthews at the table.

[Danielle Fishel]

And Dietz and Watson does not cut corners. They've been handcrafting premium deli meats and artisan cheeses for over 85 years, just like Feeny had been with us since sixth grade.

[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

In my house I've been making breakfast with their chicken sausage. No antibiotics ever. No nitrates or nitrites added.

[Jason Biggs]

It is.

[Will Friedle]

It is so good. I'm thinking of opening a diner or something to just eat them there.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's the whole point. They know good taste, doesn't need a long list of ingredients.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

You know, when we were kids, adulthood looked easy. Like you just show up to work and be fully formed, organized with a filing cabinet and a briefcase.

[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

So if you're building something you love and you want to better protect it, the Hartford is the team you want behind you. Get a quote [e-mail] small business. So then 1999 comes around and everything changes for you. Obviously this script has become a phenomenon, but when you first read American Pie, were you like, holy, this is wild. Like, what was your impression?

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, I mean it. So I had gone out to LA. Then actually in 97 I'd gone out. That's where I was trying to get to before. And I, I just love the sound of my own voice so much.

[Danielle Fishel]

We do too.

[Jason Biggs]

Thanks. I am an Emmy nominated actor.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly. It's a daytime Emmy.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, it's daytime. Whatever. Daytime. Still only one from the show. No big deal. And I did not win, by the way, in case you're wondering. And we knew you would have told

[Danielle Fishel]

us if you did,

[Ryder Strong]

it would have been behind you.

[Will Friedle]

It would have been standing behind you.

[Jason Biggs]

So, so in 97, I, I, I get an I get a TV show. Also brings me out to LA. This time I'm like, I dropped out of two colleges and this time I'm like, I'm staying in LA. The show. That show was canceled as well after 13 episodes. You're sensing a pattern. And, but I was like, I'm staying out in la. And then a Few months after that that I got American Pie. But at that point it was 97, 98 and it was the. You guys were all out there. It was like the greatest time to be a teenage actor in la. Every movie, every. I mean, it was just like insane. I was going out so much. It was. And so I'm reading all these scripts and go and auditioning for them and would have been psyched to have gotten any one of them and got close on quite a few. And then American Pie, which wasn't called American Pie at the time, that script comes to me and I read that and immediately. Did any of you guys read it like OG read it?

[Will Friedle]

I don't think so, no.

[Jason Biggs]

It was like in a class of its own. You know, you read this thing and you go, oh, oh, oh. That's what this could be. Right?

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Jason Biggs]

This is what it is when you like when you a really go for it, but also like have characters that are kind of grounded and have some horror, you know, like, oh, this is what. This is what this should be. You know, And I just remember reading it like laughing my off in my little room in west la sleeping on my futon, just like laughing out loud, just like, oh, wow, this is. This would be really great if I could get this one. And I. And I read the role and thinking like, oh, I'm. I could. This is totally my thing, you know. And. Yeah. And so then just went through the, you know, went through the audition process and they wanted Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Apparently at first that was the name I kept hearing. And the directors were pushing for, you know, sort of no name or sort of lesser named actors. And. Which was great and ultimately got their way. And I think because it was a smaller movie by studio standards, they had a little bit more, you know, leeway and. And yeah, you know, after a couple months got. Got the offer to do it.

[Will Friedle]

It was such an ensemble. Were they. Were they kind of, kind of putting together different groups of actors to kind of do anything together? Or was it really one at a time?

[Jason Biggs]

One at a time.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Will Friedle]

And they got that chemistry that's.

[Jason Biggs]

Is that. Isn't that crazy? Like. Yeah, no. There were no chemistry reads. I did not read. I did not read with Allison. I did not read with Eugene. I did not. I mean, nobody. It was. They piecemealed this thing and just like knocked it out of the park, obviously. I mean, Eddie K. Thomas, who played Finch, who was also a New York kid actor. So I had known him forever. He was one of those PCs kids that took the subway and had his little clip of Friends, the Cool Kids. And I would see him on all these auditions, and we kind of, like, nod with recognition, and I'd see his name on the sign and she. But we never spoke. Spoke more than two words to each other. And he actually, at one point, was an extra in a scene on as It Will Turns where I like it, where I get beat up in. In. In school. Like, I get, like, thrown against the locker, and he's like the bully's sidekick. And we still didn't talk to each other. He was just, like, looking at me like this as an ex. And we still weren't. Yeah. And then I get cast in American Pie and I go back to New York York. There's, like a month, you know, between me being cast and the start of filming. So I go home to New York to hang with my friends and stuff. And I'm in my agent's office in New York and I. I go up to her desk and she has a headshot of Eddie on her desk. And I go, oh, my God, you. Do you. You know, what's up, Eddie? She goes, yeah, I rep him. And I go, I had no idea. We even had this crazy. We have the same major. And then she goes, yeah. And as a matter of fact, he just got cast in the movie. He's going to play Finch. And I'm like, get out of here. That's incredible. I've known this kid since we were this big without really knowing each other. And so back in la, we go. I go to the table, read. And I remember walking in and seeing Eddie, and we just, like, had this, like, you.

[Danielle Fishel]

You.

[Jason Biggs]

15 years I've seen you and, like, immediate best friends, immediate chemistry. And he's my brother. I mean, he's, like, to this day, my best friend. And so that chemistry was easy. And, like, after Eugene was cast, we kind of had a rehearsal day where we went in and kind of, like, improvised all these scenes. And the chemistry there was immediate, but it was really just, like, a credit to the casting director and the directors for, like. Right. I mean, when.

[Will Friedle]

I'm curious when. When you're shooting. Because one of the things I remember distinctly about this movie was that it was one of the first times I saw that they had done it was like an under or an unrated version.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

And I'd never really seen that before, so. Did you know you were going to do that as you were shooting? Would you shoot one way? Because I know there were multiple scenes that you. That were shot different Ways for it was an R rating or no rating. And so did you know that going in where it's like, all right, we're shooting it this way and then we're going to shoot it this way and then we're going to shoot it this way and then we're going to shoot way it this this way. Or were you kind of just making it up as you go along with like, let's try you on the desk now with the pie. Or was that already planned?

[Jason Biggs]

Great question. So no, we had no idea there was going to be an unrated version. And this was right before DVD. Like the first American Pie I have on VHS. And then like by American Pie 2, there were no VHS. So it was literally in that, that period where the unrated version. I feel like the unrated is kind of a DVD thing. Right? Like all the extras and the unrated and all that seemed to. To me to coincide with. So the first American Pie we just shot it. And what ended up we. We decided to do it two different ways. Not because we thought, oh, one way is going to be less scandalous and. And will get us the R rating. And then this version will save for an unrated. That was not on our radar at all. It was simply, which one of these is going to be funnier? Like it was scripted, I think standing up. But we said, you know what, what if I was actually on the countertop as well mounting the pie? Like that would be funny. Why don't we try that too? And so we did it that way not because of any reason. And so I believe in an early cut. But the funnier. I mean there was. They were both funny. Right. But they put it in me on the countertop and. And that immediately got an NC17. So then they go to. They go to me standing up against the counter and then turning around, you know, holding the pie. And this is true story. They. That also got an NC17. And basically what it came down to, my understanding is that it came down the, the. The from an NC7. We got multiple NC17s and the way we got it down finally to an R rating was the number of thrusts into the pie.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, Right.

[Jason Biggs]

So ultimately that was the big fight. It wasn't over F words. You know, there's a standard. It's like you're allowed however many three or whatever.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, whatever.

[Jason Biggs]

It was the number of thrusts into the pie. And so it was started here and it ultimately came down to. Because I guess two thrusts is an R, but three thrusts is an NC17.

[Ryder Strong]

So amazing how to a question that I, that I've, I have for a lot for actors in general, because this came up to me. I worked with Serena Vincent on a movie called Cabin Fever and she had just come off. Not another teen movie movie where she was naked the entire movie. Like that was the joke. And then we were doing Cabin Fever and she was very nervous about partial nudity that we had to do in the movie. And I was like, what? You were completely naked? And she's like, that was for comedy. Yeah, that was totally fine. If I have to be sexy, that's a whole different type of pressure. And my brain just went, oh God, that makes so much sense. So how did you feel? Were you totally fine with all the nudity and sex stuff because it was pure comedy, or was there part of you that was also kind of like uncomfortable or nervous about any of that?

[Jason Biggs]

That's a great, I love hearing that story because that's exactly how I've always sort of seen it. Yeah, I, I, I, I always sort of thought like, oh, I'll do anything for a joke. Like, yeah, like she like, you know what I mean? Like, there's no sort of that being said. I do remember thinking the day that I showed, the day that we did the pie scene scene, being a little concerned because again, at this point, I mean, we'd had this great cast, the table read killed. We'd been shooting for about a week or two at that point. So we had had great footage. Like the chemistry, everything was lining up the way it was supposed to line up. But there was still a part of me that thought, is this pornography?

[Will Friedle]

Is anyone gonna see this?

[Jason Biggs]

Is this just. Am I like gonna make a complete of myself and never work again? Just, you know, those young, like kid, like I've got this opportunity, but am I gonn like just those kinds of thoughts? And I called my manager at the time, that morning from my trailer. I remember calling him being like, is this, I'm gonna go in there and I'm gonna do this right? Like, I'm gonna go and kapai. And he's like, yes, you are.

[Will Friedle]

100 are multiple times from multiple angles.

[Jason Biggs]

That's what you are going to do it and you are going to love

[Ryder Strong]

it and you're gonna do it for six more movies.

[Jason Biggs]

But I remember and then that, then that was it. And, and I'll tell you what really cemented the, the exact thing that Serena said. Serena you said, right? Serena Vincent. Yeah, the exact thing where it was totally cemented for me and I'VE lived by it to this day, and I've never questioned it again. Was. I shot the scene, we did one take and we cut, and there was like a half second pause and then the entire crew burst out laughing.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes.

[Jason Biggs]

And I. And, and. And that was the moment where so many things happened for me. One, the Serena Vincent school of comedy was planted in me forever. And two, I thought, oh, I think this movie's gonna be something. Yeah. I was like, this is. This is actually, I think this is, is. And not because of me. It wasn't about me. It was about. It was about, oh, this is. We are doing something that. That, like, is. I've never seen this.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Jason Biggs]

And all 63 people who are standing around me right now just went, holy.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

And I was like, this is. Okay, I think we. I think we're cooking with gas here.

[Will Friedle]

Well, it did something in the. It also did something for people our age in the industry where it had been.

[Jason Biggs]

We.

[Will Friedle]

We'd gotten very wholesome by that point again, in.

[Jason Biggs]

In Hollywood.

[Will Friedle]

And this brought us right back to those great early 80s movies, the animal House and Meatballs and the stuff I grew up watching Fast Times at Ridgemont High, where it was like, it wasn't pornography. It was just kind of real how kids talked and were at parties and drank beer and. And we got away. Especially when we're doing something like Boy Meets World. We were the very squeaky clean. And we're also on a squeaky clean night, and we've got other squeaky clean shows around, so I know that myself as an actor, when I saw American Pie for the first time, it was like, oh, thank God it's back. There's more back like this. Like, the things I grew up watching are coming back again. And it did. It started that entire new generation of what young actors were capable of again, comedically. And so it's just wonderfully like, oh, thank God. It was like a breath of fresh air again. Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

Great.

[Danielle Fishel]

Do you think in 2026 you would have an intimacy coordinator with the population?

[Jason Biggs]

I think the pie would request it.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's what I was saying.

[Will Friedle]

Well, you also have to look at the expiration date. How old is that pie? So it's also important.

[Jason Biggs]

Well played. Well played. I cannot believe I. I've made Will. I Will.

[Ryder Strong]

Yep, Will just took it to the next level nicely.

[Jason Biggs]

Will. Well, I. I am. I am so, so happy and impressed right now because I have literally heard or made every pie joke possible in 27 years, and that is the expiration date. Age of the pie is one I have not heard. That is.

[Danielle Fishel]

Congratulations.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, sure. I think we've gone that at the expiration date.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, that's pretty great. Let's talk about modern home shopping.

[Will Friedle]

It's sort of becoming like a fun side hobby, right?

[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Jason Biggs]

Loop.

[Will Friedle]

That's where Redfin flips the script.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Now, liking a listing is easy, but actually landing it, that's where Redfin comes in.

[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

And Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents.

[Danielle Fishel]

That means they help you win, not just window shop shop.

[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

So become the newest neighbor on the block.

[Danielle Fishel]

Visit redfin.com to start finding and start owning.

[Will Friedle]

That's redfin.com Cat parents, gather round.

[Danielle Fishel]

Ryder and I have some important advice to share.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

But that's why we're here to help. Because sometimes I find myself wondering, does my cat even love me?

[Ryder Strong]

And there's only one solution to solve that. Sheba.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Treat your cats right and introduce them to the delicious delicacies of Sheba.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

know those little moments at home that just work?

[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

Signature Hardware Create your signature style all right, important question. If you saw a sandwich on a deli menu called the Feeney, what's on it?

[Danielle Fishel]

Obviously something wise. I'm thinking Dietz and Watson Oven Classic Turkey because it's classic, dependable, and it makes you feel like you should have studied harder before lunch.

[Will Friedle]

I'm adding the Black Forest Uncured ham smoked the old World way with cracked pepper and sea salt. And when the sandwich arrives, it has to yell Mr. Matthews at the table.

[Danielle Fishel]

And Dietz and Watson does not cut corners. They've been handcrafting premium deli meats and artisan cheeses for over 85 years, just like Feeney had been with us since sixth grade.

[Will Friedle]

They're family owned, always doing things the right way, even when it's the hard way.

[Ryder Strong]

They actually sent us some of their stuff and I've been loving the flavored cheddar cheese cheeses. Real New York State Cheddar small batch, super creamy. It's dangerous how fast it disappears.

[Will Friedle]

In my house I've been making breakfast with their chicken sausage. No antibiotics ever. No nitrates or nitrites added. It is so good. I'm thinking of opening a diner or something to just eat them there.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's the whole point. They know good taste doesn't need a long list of ingredients.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Simple as that.

[Will Friedle]

Visit dietzandwatson.com the right way to learn more about the deets-difference.

[Danielle Fishel]

You know, when we were kids, adulthood looked easy. Like you just show up to work and be fully formed, organized with a filing cabinet and a briefcase.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I definitely thought by now I'd understand taxes and own a label maker. Instead, I'm still googling things like do cats have a soul? And what is liability?

[Ryder Strong]

Then imagine you start your own small business. Whole new level. There's so much no one prepares you for. Honestly, I wish I'd had someone back then who could change. Just simplify insurance. Just make it easy.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

So if you're building something you love and you want to better protect it, the Hartford is the team you want behind you. Get a quote today@the Hartford.com small business. How long does it take Amer American Pie comes out or not even maybe before. Even before it comes out, how long does it take to feel the difference in your everyday life? Like there has to be a before and an after for you. When does, when does the after start?

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, also a great question. There's kind of two, two times I, I'd say because actually the first real moment, I think again, putting aside, oh my God, the pipe. We shot this. The crew laugh. Oh God, we're, we have something, you know, putting aside the table read that we hear for the first time and you go, oh, this is special. Putting aside all those moments, I'd say one that really stands out is when the red band trail. So in like yes, January or something. We shot it in the summer and it came out in the summer. It was one year. And in like that winter time, they released a red band trailer which if you remember, red band trailers were a very big deal. It was awesome. You'd go to the movie theater and you'd see the previews and then it'd be like, you know, green giant, green screen. The following preview is rated pg. And you'd see the trailer and then, then very occasionally the screen would be all red and you'd be like, what is this? What's happening here? And the trailer itself was rated R and it could only be seen before other R rated movies. And that got sort of, that became viral in the very beginning days of virality. And what happened was the reason it was a red band was because they showed me in the past pie. And I remember thinking they had sent me the trailer before it came out in the theaters. And I remember, you know, 19 years old going, guys, you're making a mistake here. You don't want to give away the pie scene. What, you know, like Like I knew anything, you know, I remember thinking, you don't want to. Why would you give away the pie? Isn't that the thing you want to. And it turned out to be, of course, the most brilliant. It was a quick. It was a quick, quick thing, but enough to. Where the people in the audience be like, I'm sorry, did he just.

[Ryder Strong]

Did I just see him see this movie now?

[Jason Biggs]

I have seen the thing. Yeah. And it was brilliant. And so. So I started getting recognized from the trailer. Wow. So I remember that was the first. That, for me, that was like the first time where I. You know, it's like, oh. Oh, I think. Yeah. This. This. This is not only something special and good, but actually could be something like, beyond any of our sort of, you know, and then, of course, that when the movie came out, you know, like that weekend, I remember, you know, walking to get a bagel and being recognized and, like, you know, cross. Literally crossing the street in a car, stopping, and then rolling down their windows, like Saturday morning, you know, and rolling down the window and, like, going, hey, do the dance. Oh, my God. Like that quick. You know, it was like, literally.

[Will Friedle]

Well, it's also. It was written in such a way. The script is so wonderful that it's kind of one quotable moment after another, you know, I mean, it's. It's in the Zeitgeist where it's just. It is. You're all these little moments that. That last forever. And. And it was every character. That was. The thing that was so great about it was there wasn't one. I mean, obviously there's people that stood out a little more, but it was the. As a crew, it was cutting to these different storylines and as a. An ensemble cast, it just. Everybody had their beats and it all worked so well.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah. My favorite. My favorite thing that I would hear in the months and even years after is. Was when people would tell me who they were in the friend group. Guys in particular, you know, but like, oh, I was Oz. I'm Oz in our friend group. You know, like, people would. Because people identified with. With those friendships, those kinds of. Kinds of relationships. It was very. It was very cool. Yeah. And like, you know. Yeah. You know, look, I don't. You can't make that movie today. It's obviously a time capsule. There are certain scenes you certainly couldn't. Couldn't do today. But as a time capsule and as a sort of reflection of the kinds of experiences that high school kids had in terms of being more authentic than just this sort of glossy, kind Of. Of, you know, clean kind of experience. Just, you know, it sort of hit in a way that other movies didn't. So.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, I think one commonality between all of us who got famous in the 90s or the 2000s is that at some point, we all found ourselves in completely insane situations as new celebrities. Whether it's Shaquille o' Neal deciding to hold me over his head, or Writer being on the Oprah Winfrey show talking about fan mail, or Will writing Tower of Terror with Bill Nye the Science Guy, they all sound like Mad Libs. Is there any. Is there any insane situation that you can specifically remember yourself being in after American Pie came out that you'd like to share with us?

[Jason Biggs]

Well, I remember walking by Writer Strong's parking. That's right. And going, I have made it. I R. Strong BMW. Are you kidding me?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

And he's like, driver, too. So funny. Oh, my God. I mean. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, you must have gone to every Maxim party and every, like,

[Jason Biggs]

Maxim part. Every Maxim party. Every. Every time there was a new PlayStation, I was there because I wanted to get the. But, yeah. Oh, my God, the Maxim parties. Yep. Yeah, all the things. I mean, look, I. Yeah, in. In the late 90s, early 2000 L. A, you know, and I was. You know, I had. I kind of made a group of friends out there who were. You know, we all wanted to go out and hang and party, and I party. One member. Well, Eddie. Eddie was part of my crew, but the rest were kind of not actors. One was like my. My downstairs neighbor at the first apartment I lived in in la, who ended up. We became roommates ourselves, and he was just like our bud and became friends with Eddie, too. So I meet Eddie, this guy, and then another guy who I met on a blind date. I'm going to tell you the story because it does have a payoff. Met this guy on a blind date. His brother was working at Warner Brothers at the time. And this was like, in that year between filming American Pie and it coming out, of course, I'm going out on all these generals, right? You know, like, hey, I've got a new movie coming out, you know, And. And I met this guy at Warner Brothers, Greg Silverman. And he. And I was, you know, new to la, didn't have a lot of friends, and he said, you should meet my brother. You'd really like him. You guys would really get along. And so he put me. Gave me a phone number. I called this guy. Guy, and he's like, Jason. I was like, yeah, duron he's like, yeah. He's like, listen, come up, meet me. We have a house party going on in the hills on Saturday night. I got a bunch of girls coming up from San Diego. I'm like, yes, yes, please. Yes, please. It was my first time going to the hills, by the way, of course. And I was like, this is crazy. But anyway, he and I became best friends immediately. He ended up marrying my wife's sister. So we are now. I met my wife on a blind date. Date. I met him on a blind date. We were friends for 10 years. Then I meet my wife on a blind date and he's my best man. My wife's sister is her maid of honor. And then they end up getting married like two years later. And now they have three boys and we have two boys. Anyway, so that was cute. Yeah. So it's still kind of have my crew a little bit, you know. I love that one's related now and. Yeah. But anyway, I'm not sure I answered. What's it? I don't know what they. Oh, yeah, that time. Yeah, the late. The night that, that, that period in la. It was. Yeah, it was.

[Danielle Fishel]

It was wild.

[Jason Biggs]

It was wild. It was wild. It was. And I. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Ed Dubbacks, man. Those Ed Dubics nights.

[Jason Biggs]

Yes, Ed. Oh, my God. Yep. Absolutely. Dublin's on. I mean, there were so many.

[Danielle Fishel]

Dublin.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Who wasn't there? So after the success of American Pie, do you feel pigeonholed at all? I mean, here you are, a daytime Emmy nominated actor, a seasoned Broadway actor, and a Pulitzer Prize finalist play, and now you're the king of sex comedy. Is there anything that you really wanted, like a role you really, really wanted and you just feel like you missed out on because they couldn't see past it really.

[Jason Biggs]

Good question. I mean, I. I'm. Yeah, I mean, I'm sure. I mean, I remember, like, I can't think of specifics. I mean, I. I definitely. There were like dramatic roles that I certainly was like, oh, this would be great. I could do this. And then just kind of, you know, not even really. And. But, you know, I never sort of let it get to me, I think, because I always felt like, just really psyched to be able to get any of the roles that I got. I know this sounds so trite and weird, but like, I truly. I think because I had been fired from shows as a kid, I had gotten what I thought was my big break and then to gets canceled and had that happen a few times and like, I kind of seen that already that Even with American Pie, even though it was clearly different and had set me up in a different way, I still kind of. Not that I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I think I just had a different appreciation for it. I never, never took it for granted and still don't. So even though I would sort of think. I think the answer is yes to 100%. There are definitely roles I did not get and continue to not get because I'm Jim and American Pie. One million percent. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. Right. Like, I'm not ever going to complain about it. I will admit to it. I'm fully aware of it and it still happens. And I'll get, I will get like I will get bumped still, you know, because I know I'm still carrying some of that baggage with me, but it's also like I'm happy to be carrying the bags too. Like have these great, great full suitcases and I'm still here.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

However many years later and I'm still working enough and I'm, you know, I can pay my mortgage and I'm, I'm like, you know, like it's.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

And we all know the. So many people who are not still here.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jason Biggs]

Doing what they like to do. And like so, so, so honestly, like the answer is yeah, there's tons of jobs that I wish I got and that I know I didn't get because I'm Jim and American Pie.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Jason Biggs]

But there's also jobs that I. I'm Jim and America probably more than the ones I didn't. You know.

[Danielle Fishel]

So we spoke to another one of our shared co stars, Mina Suvari, on our podcast and we chatted about a new American Pie movie, American Funeral. What do you know about it? Is. Is it. What do. What can you tell us?

[Jason Biggs]

I. I'm gonna. I was gonna ask you about America. I have no, I, I honestly have no idea. Idea. I mean that's been sort of floated. I thought more as like a joke. I've never seen anything like that. But the idea that actually feels like it has had some legs is. And it's. And also because I think it's fairly obvious and I'm not going to take credit for it. I think Sean's talked about it. I've talked about it. I feel like any. Everyone's kind of thought about it which is we're now at the age. Because in the last American Pie I had like a three year old old. I, I think son now if we made the movie they would be that kid would be high school age, so. Yeah, so. So. So I think this sort of, if we were to do one right now, you know, I think it would be, I'm Eugene. Eugene is the grandfather, my son. And then you kind of pass it off to the next generation. And that's kind of the idea. I mean, we talked about Sean maybe having a daughter, you know, which would be fun. And he's got to deal with his own own, you know, like. Oh, yeah. All the, his, his has to be done from the past. Right. I mean, it's really smart. There's so many factors that need to,

[Will Friedle]

you know, I know it's a no brainer. It would do really well, which is why they'll never ever make it.

[Jason Biggs]

You know, welcome to Hollywood.

[Danielle Fishel]

So smart.

[Will Friedle]

So smart. It makes total sense. So let's not do it. It's. Yeah, it's such a weird business right now.

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah. I mean, the only question that I can answer with full confidence is, you know, would I do it? And the answer is, yeah, like, of course, you know, and not because it's any reflection of sort of like career or it's like, I want to do it because I think people would like it. I think people ask me about it daily. And so I know there's an appetite for these, to see these characters and to see where they are now. And because it's the most fun I've ever had with working. Like, of course I would do it. You know, like, forget about all the other stuff. Like, I just, it would be so much fun. So, I mean, I hope, I hope one day it kind of. All the ducks line up and we'll see.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's talk about untitled home invasion romance you've produced in the past. But what made you want to direct and how did the script get to you?

[Jason Biggs]

Yeah, so the script came to me just to act in. I was, it was sent as an offer to, you know, this little indie which, you know, we've all gotten the indie offer. And you know, those conversations can go one of two ways. Usually the one way which is, you know, we have an offer. It's, it's, it's. No, you can read it or not. I'm like, oh, okay, great. Thanks for getting me for my agent. You know, like, I'm so excited, so excited to read it. What a glowing. Yeah, please send it, send it, send it right away. Yeah, this is what my ego needs right now. And. But this one, you know, my. So I've been looking in earnest for something to direct probably for the Last like five years or so. And I think ever since I was a little kid just being on sets and stuff, I've always kind of thought that would be fun, you know, that'd be cool. And also just sort of, you know, being a set kid and just kind of being around all these directors all these years and you just kind of learn and you just kind of get set savvy. I kind of feel like, you know, I didn't go to film school, so admittedly I knew that on the photographic side of things, the technical side of things, I had a lot to learn. But I always felt like I could work with actors. Like, I know what I want from a director. I know how I want to be talked to from a director. Like, I feel like I could contribute there if the actors trust me and. But I'd say, yeah, it was like the last five years or so, I've really been looking and I was attached to something that was more American Pie ish for a while, really funny script, thought I could maybe do something with it, but ultimately decided that it was maybe a little too much like American Pie. You know, you talk about acting and like, how I've, you know, you get sort of pigeonholed and that's. I felt different. I felt like for my first directing thing, I did want to try to, like, hold out for something maybe a little, A little different, you know, I don't know. I, I saw it as, as different. I, I, I just thought I wanted to do something a little more unexpected on that front if I had the opportunity. That's. The other thing is, like, what, you know what I mean? It's like, it's all about luck and timing and opportunity as well. And I get a call from my agent. He's like, I got this indie. And I'm like, right. And he said, no, no, hold on, hold on. It's actually, I think, I think it's a. You'll like it. It's a really cool script, it's a fun role, and I think this might be the one you want to direct. And I was like, really? Okay. And I read it and he was right. I, like, I fully agreed. And so we just kind of went back to the one producer who was attached at the time and kind of, we all sort of agreed that, you know, I could, I could pursue it as the director and went to some people I had worked with in the past, and we were able to raise the money and get it into production. Yeah. So it was just kind of. And, and yeah, I just Felt like, you know, it comedically, I feel like lines up a bit more with my sensibilities as they stand right now, you know, I mean, I love all comedy and I'm a. I just, you know, but this felt a little darker and weirder and kind of quirkier, and it's just more my speed, I think now, you know, the movies that I like to watch now, you know, the sort of the. The Coen brothers type, right? I am not. I am not a Coen brother, but this was. It felt to me like, oh, this lives in that sort of world. I like that. You know, this was kind of fun. So, yeah, I'm just. And then, yeah, just luck that I'm able. Was able to like, find a producer with a checkbook that was willing to back me with no direct experience. No, you know, I don't have a short film. I didn't have anything to show for it. I happened to work with him on a movie. Movie that there were a bunch of kid actors in and the director was having a hard time. I shouldn't say that. She's wonderful, but she, by her own admission, she was basically. Look, wanted me to help her with these kid actors because she knew that I was a kid actor. So I was helping direct these kids, like giving them kind of notes in a language that I had already, that I was fluent in. Right. And the producer was like, do you want to direct like you. You know? And I was like, yeah, I do, as a matter of fact. And so it was that producer that I went back to and said, listen, man, because he was like, come to me if you, you know, if you have anything. And I said, hey, man, remember a couple months back, I said, I got something for you if you really. And he was like, great, let's do it. And so to his credit. That's amazing. He. He. He backed me. So. So, yeah. And now I've, you know, I'm sure I've lost all his money, but you know what? Whatever. I have real. I have a real. But you made up movie. Movie.

[Will Friedle]

Jesus.

[Jason Biggs]

Great.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, I mean, I really do feel like through talking to you, that you. There's like a really strong theme through your life, which is like a real go big or go home diving into the deep end. And now you're doing it by directing and starring in your own project. So you should be very, very proud of yourself. You've worked with some real heavy hitter directly directors in your career. Do you feel like there was anything in particular you took from any one of them? That helped you in this process. Any. Any shout outs you want to give?

[Jason Biggs]

Sure, yeah. I mean, excuse me, the. That's a great question. Thank you for asking that. I think the Weiss brothers, for sure, who directed the first American Pie, I think about them a lot because that was their first movie directing. And so I've actually worked with a lot of first time directors, directors, as I'm sure you guys have. And there's. Some of them are able to come in and sort of, you know, do it and do it well. And you go, oh, they, they belong here. And some of them, you go, oh, maybe I would do this differently. Or not. And the thing about the Weitz brothers that I'll never forget, in addition to them just being so smart and so funny and. Yeah, just brilliant. And the fact that they work so well together was their openness and their eagerness to collaborate. They were never like, we got this, we're here, we belong here. There was a confidence, of course, but there was never a cockiness. There was never a. They always had the attitude, from what I sensed of, you are the production designer because you production design better than I. Production design, yes. You are the cinematographer, photographer, because you know how to shoot and I do not. Right. And I'm gonna oversee all of this and I'm gonna. But I'm inviting all of you to teach me and show me. And I'm. And so. And that's, I think, huge, you know, like, because I didn't. I had a lot to learn. A lot to learn. And so I didn't come into this going, you know, I got this and, or even like, I mean, I definitely wanted to. To I show a certain amount of confidence. And I had confidence in some areas more than others. Like I said, talking to the actors, I felt like I had some confidence. But I, But I also didn't want to like, fake it till you make it either, because I don't think that for me, for me, I didn't think that would apply here. I would rather come into it and say there's things I don't know and I need you guys to teach me. And I'm going to have opinions on those things and I'm going to ultimately make decisions based on what you teach me, but I'm not going to pretend to know what I don't know. And that was the Whites Brothers for me. Like, I just remember them. And also trusting the actors, like really, like, you know, they trusted their casting decisions and so they were in them. Once the actors were sort of comfortable, they Trusted them to contribute in the way that they, you know. And so, yeah, I don't know, they really stand out for me. I'm indebted to them for sure. Kevin Smith is someone who I've worked with a bunch and just like he, you know, he. Everyone wants to be there. Everyone who's on a Kevin Smith set wants to be there because they like working for him. They think it's fun. They think they're making something special, you know. You know, I. This is a name that I'll be very specific about, you know, what I took from it. But like, I worked with Woody Allen and I. That's where I fell in love with the one. One shot, the oner, you know, like, I had never I. In American Pie, we had done one or two sort of long oner shots that I remember thinking, wow, this is really, really cool. Very theatrical. But then when I did the Woody Allen movie, I mean, we were, we did almost like there were so many oners, like constantly. And I just remember feeling so incredibly engaged as a performer because it was very theatrical. It was very, you know, and the pressure now, it was also very traumatic for me. I, you know, like, what he can be was very. I was very nervous. It was very nerve wracking. That's a whole nother story we could get into. I'm sure I lost the trauma around it, but. But more I should talk about his cinematographer that I work with. Just how he put these shots together. And so I always thought if I ever direct, like, I have to find space for when I have to like find at least one oner in this. And the movie Untitled Home Invasion Romance is not very conducive to that style of filmmaking. It's much more kinetic. And so it's. It just. But we found one scene. We found one scene, my DP and I that we both agreed were like, oh yeah, it's this one, right? Yes, it's this one. And so we were able to do that. And that was always. I look forward to shooting that from day one. So that was really cool. But yeah, I don't know, man. I just feel like I've just tried to pay attention, attention, you know, Right. Guys like you, you guys just been. You just like, even if you're not intentionally actively paying attention, you've just been on sets for so long. Like I would trust any one of you guys to direct me because you, you know, what's up? You know, you just like, you know it. You've worked with people who, you know, not that you don't want to do that. And you've worked with the people who you go, oh, that's what I should do. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

You know, Jason, you are so fascinating. This has been such a wonderful conversation. Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us. And for all of you listening, you can watch Untitled Home Invasion Romance, directed by and starring Jason Biggs right now on demand, Rent or purchase it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, or YouTube. Thank you again for being here with us. It was so fun.

[Jason Biggs]

You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for having me. You guys are great. Thanks for coming.

[Ryder Strong]

This is great.

[Jason Biggs]

Thank you, guys.

[Danielle Fishel]

Enjoy the rest of your day.

[Jason Biggs]

We'll do. Love to Johnson. Take care. Take care, guys.

[Will Friedle]

Bye.

[Jason Biggs]

Take care. Bye.

[Danielle Fishel]

What a career.

[Will Friedle]

I know.

[Ryder Strong]

I love that. We only covered up to 99, though, guys.

[Will Friedle]

We still have another. We got to bring him back because that was one of my favorite interviews we've done.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know. I agree.

[Will Friedle]

So fascinating.

[Danielle Fishel]

So interesting, so fun. Yeah. Just. I mean. Yeah. And there were. I could tell there were endless more things I could have asked him about and stories he could have shared. We've. We've got 25 years still to cover, so thank you all for joining us for this episode of Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on Instagram Pod Meets World show. You can send us your emails. Podmeetsworldshowmail.com and we've got merch.

[Will Friedle]

This one time at Bandcamp, I bought a whole bunch of merch.

[Danielle Fishel]

Podmeetsworldshow.com will send us out.

[Will Friedle]

We love you all. Pod dismissed. Pod Meets Worlds is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Ryan, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Sudbaksh, producer Matty Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World superfan, Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon, and you can follow us on Instagram @podmeatsworldshow or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.com

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