Seann William Scott: I Will Always Be Known As 'Stifler'

Seann William Scott may be recognized as Steve Stifler for the rest of his career, but "American Reunion" isn't the only movie he has coming out this spring.

Scott stars in "Goon," in which he plays an ex-bouncer who leads a team of under-performing, misfit hockey players by becoming a lethal enforcer. Basically, he beats the daylight out of the opposition.

The 35-year-old actor -- who recently got engaged -- spoke to The Huffington Post about "Goon," bringing back Stifler in "American Reunion" and why he didn't win an Oscar for "Dukes of Hazzard."

Were you into hockey growing up?
I grew up in Minnesota, so obviously it was everywhere, but I actually played basketball during the wintertime. The experience I had was basically watching my buddies play.

Could you at least skate?
I could move around the ice. I took lessons. I got good enough to do what I needed to do for the film. Let’s put it this way, I was never able to stop on my own. I’d skate into somebody or the courts.

Was it fun beating up people in "Goon"?
It was kind of like a little boy’s dream to be the tough guy, almost like a super hero. I was thinking, "There’s no way I’m going to get cast as a superhero" and this was my best chance. Physically, it was demanding and exhausting. When I saw the movie, I thought it was so worth it. The fights were so realistic.

Are you there? I’m literally going to walk into my apartment and I know my dog is going to jump on me and he’s got a cone on his head, so just stay on the line. His name is Dude, by the way. [Talking to his dog.] "Dude, dude, hey, I’m just doing an interview."

Why has he got a cone?
He’s a Conehead right now. He got an eye infection and he’s super annoying with this. He knows he’s annoying when he pushes it against you.

Don’t you think other dogs laugh at dogs who wear cones because they look so goofy?
Let me tell my girlfriend that. [Tells her]. Yeah, we think you’re right. We have another dog and she definitely makes fun of him. I think the dogs that wear the cones know they look like idiots too. Here’s the other thing: I’m embarrassed to take him outside because he looks like an idiot. Wow, what if he was my kid? I probably wouldn’t take him out either. He looks like a fricking idiot.

Have you had a day in your life since "American Pie" that you haven't had someone call you Stifler?
When the movie came out, they called me that and I was flattered because they remembered a character’s name that I had played. Then I started thinking, "I wonder if they realize that he’s not a real person, that it’s a movie character."

We were just in Canada and a lot of people were calling me Stifler, and what was more fascinating was I started responding, because what else can I say? "Well my real name is Seann; don’t you know Stifler is a character?" The easiest thing is just to answer.

A guy on a plane was like, "Stifler, can I have a photo?" and I was like, "Sure," and he got really close to me. I could feel his stubble on my cheek. People really feel like they know me because they know this Stifler character. When they see me it's like, "Hey! It’s that asshole from ‘American Pie.’"

You know when you’re 70, you’ll still be Stifler.
It is weird because I don’t go, "Hey Travis Bickle!" I’m also strangely comparing myself to Robert De Niro right now. I know when I decided to do "American Pie Reunion," it was like, "OK, let’s come to terms with the fact that I’m going to be forever known as this guy." You have to embrace it.

Were you hard up for money when you did "Dukes of Hazzard?"
(Laughs) We like to call that the "Dicks of Hazzard." You know what I have to say about that? With the Academy Awards just on, it’s very hard for me to watch the ceremony, because it just reminds me of the time I got snubbed for an Oscar for "Dukes". I did some Oscar-worthy acting in that.

No, I wasn’t hard up for cash. I just didn’t think it was going to be that bad. We had a great time shooting it but, my goodness, I think some of my family members still won’t talk to me after making that movie.

"Goon" opens in the U.S. March 30 in a limited release. "American Reunion" hits theaters April 6.

Check out then-and-now photos of the "American Reunion" cast below: