American Pie star Jason Biggs has said the controversial webcam scene in the 1990s teen comedy “couldn’t get made” today as it would be “unacceptable”.
The actor, who played Jim Levenstein in the film series, was discussing the moment his character used a hidden webcam to film female student Nadia undressing and masturbating, before broadcasting it to his entire school.
“It was a very specific time,” he told BuzzFeed. “It was right as the internet was starting. We had that whole scene with the internet camera – which, by the way, would never get made now.”
Biggs added: “It wouldn’t get made now and it couldn’t get made now. It would be unacceptable what that represents, but at the time I remember reading the script and reading that part and being shocked that there was cameras on computers. That’s what I took away from it originally.”
The 1999 film follows a group of high school boys who make a pact to lose their virginities before graduation, with Jim Levenstein (Biggs) attempting to sleep with foreign exchange student Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth).
In the scene, the boys set up a secret webcam to film Nadia change her clothes in Jim’s bedroom. Nadia takes a break to masturbate before changing and the video is accidentally broadcast to the entire school.
Jim then returns to his bedroom, but his hopes to lose his virginity are scuppered after he ejaculates prematurely.
In the film, despite Nadia not knowing about the camera, she is promptly sent home to Slovakia, while none of the boys receive punishment for filming her or broadcasting the video.
Last year, Shannon reflected on the controversial scene, saying: “If this had come out after the #MeToo movement, there would definitely be a problem. I think that it would have gone down differently.”
