‘American Pie’ Star Jason Biggs Directs ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’

Jason Biggs takes a page out of the Coen brothers’ playbook in his directorial debut “Untitled Home Invasion Romance,” about a romantic getaway gone absurdly, violently wrong. 

“They are my favorite filmmakers. When I first read the script, I thought: ‘Oh, this is also happening in that kind of world.’ I mean, I am not a Coen brother, obviously. But they’re always my reference point.” 

He’s ready to switch sides and “work a little more behind the camera,” he admits.  

“When I was coming up, I’d wait by the phone and then go and audition. I was just an actor. Now, because of these things [he points at Variety’s phone], no one is just an actor anymore. Everyone’s learning how to ‘create content.’ In a way, everyone is a filmmaker. I’m a little late to the game, but I’m hoping it sticks.”

He laughs: “All right, I’ll become a Coen brother. Why not? It’s a great idea.” 

Biggs talks to Variety at Italy’s Torino Film Festival. It’s his first trip to the country since becoming an Italian citizen. “My family is siciliana. It’s the very first time I got to use my new password,” he’ll tell local journalists later during the press conference.   

In “Untitled Home Invasion Romance,” he plays a commercial actor trying to get back with his wife Suzie (Meaghan Rath). They are separated – or “on a break,” as he insists, inadvertently echoing Ross Geller. A short trip might be just what they need, but Kevin won’t leave anything to chance. To look like a hero, he plans a fake break-in with a friend from his acting class. But once she sees the masked assailant, Suzie has other plans. 

“It’s a dark comedy about two people who don’t really know each other and, well, things are revealed,” he notes, praising Rath’s portrayal of the complicated character who refuses to be a victim. “It’s really her movie.” 

Taking backseat this time…