24-year-old Thomas Ian Nicholas and brother, Tim Scarne, took a real gamble with LA DJ, a film in which they co-wrote and co-star as brothers who venture to LA with the dream of becoming world-famous DJs, but end up Djing at bar-mitzvahs. And it paid off. The film, which marked Nicholas' directorial debut, was bought up for theatrical release by Enterprise Entertainment, and by Terra Entertainment for DVD release in the United States and Canada. Nicholas, best known for his role as Kevin Myers in the American Pie trilogy, checked in exclusively with Entertainment Zone recently to talk LA DJ, directing, American Pie, music, and his future plans.

Now for the Zone's Eye View:

By Mike "Kryptonite" Altamura (mikealtamura@aol.com)

EZ: From what I understand you put quite a substantial amount of your own money into LA DJ. Did you always think it was going to be a calculated risk? Were there any fears that it might not pay off?

TIN: Well I mean we did raise some of the financing with our friends and family. We started a company and sold shares in the company, so pretty much everyone I know or am related to also owns a small portion of the movie, so that offset a little bit of our risk. But it's one of those things where, when you believe in something and you're passionate about it you're willing to put your money where your mouth is. And it's, it's also like, I was born in Las Vegas, where the gambling is legal, and with gambling you never risk more than you're willing to lose. There's always a fear of not making your money back, but I didn't bet the house.

EZ: What was the inspiration for the film? Was it shaped by yours and Tim's own experiences?

TIN: Oh, most definitely. My brother always quotes Garry Marshall, who once said, "Write what you know." So my brother came up with the initial concept of the story, and invited me to write it with him. And he is a DJ by trade, and in fact he owns a company that DJs bar mitzvahs. I worked for him at one time, so we sort of twisted the facts a little bit to allow for a little more comedy, but it is definitely based upon our experiences. And the film has a lot of our family's unique humor in it, so those are sort of our inspirations.

Tim Scarne and Thomas Ian Nicholas

EZ: What sort of challenges did you face, one, taking on the lead role, and two, also making your directing debut?

TIN: Well starring in the movie wasn't so difficult. In comparison to directing, it was a walk in the park. Not to say that it is, you know, completely easy, but I had experienced all aspects of that before. And as an actor you don't get to see what sort of goes into a project outside of your involvement. You know, you go to rehearsals and pre-production, you film during the shoot, and then you're involved in a couple of days of post with dubbing and whatnot. And then you do publicity. As a director, I quickly (laughs), quickly learned about all the other things that go on as far as the planning, the pre-planning. The shooting was something I had seen before, but post-production was probably the biggest challenge for me as a director. Once we were done with the film, we felt this great release, and then we realized, wait, we still have to cut this thing together and make a movie with all the stuff that we shot! And that for me was the biggest challenge.

EZ: You've worked under a few talented directors, in The Weitz brothers (American Pie), and Roger Avary (The Rules of Attraction). Did such people have an influence in you approach to directing the film?

TIN: I mean I certainly have learned from all the directors I have worked for as an actor, good and bad. I think it's easier to learn from people's mistakes, than people's genius. But I mean the Weitz brothers, their directing style was pretty much geared towards communicating what they wanted in a very personal way, so I definitely took a little bit of that. And as far as Roger Avary, he was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back. I mean as far as his directing, he would really let the actors go free and in fact, encouraged it, to make The Rules of Attraction more out of control and out there. But I remember I got to sit in on a day of his, well a few hours of his editing, and he was in a bedroom in his house with his editor on a computer. And I was like, "Wait a second," I've sat in a couple hours at some other studios and it looked completely out of reach. So I started asking questions about the computer, and I realized you could buy one at a store. Within two weeks, I owned my own editing studio, so it was that sort of aspect of finally realizing how I can move forward and direct my first project which I've wanted to do for the last eight years, was sort of thanks to Roger.

EZ: Would you say that this project because it was collaborated with your brother would be your most proud piece of work to date?

TIN: Certainly, there's nothing like working with family. That's for sure. My brother is a business partner that I can always count on, and no matter how much, how angry we make each other, we're still brothers at the end of the day (laughs).


EZ: I'd like to discuss your involvement with the American Pie trilogy if that's okay.

TIN: Sure.

EZ: When you first read the script for American Pie, did you know you were onto something special?

TIN: Uh, not really. I basically, when I fist got the script for the fist movie, it was called, Untitled Teenage Sex Comedy. And I read the first scene, which is different to the one you see in the film, but in a similar vein. I called my agent and I said, "What in the world are you sending me? Is this like teenage porn? What's going on? I'm not going on this." And we had a big battle about how interested they were in seeing me, and she talked me into reading the whole script, and once I got through the whole script, I realized that my character had the ability to bring some heart to this story that was semi-true to life, though a comedy. So that's sort of how my experience went on the first film.

EZ: At what point did you really realize that those films were going to be probably forever marked as some of the top teen-type genre films of all-time?

TIN: Well, I mean certainly, there's no way to gauge whether or not a project will be successful, so for me at the time I was just happy to have a job, and wasn't really thinking about the end result or the potential success of the film. I was very surprised by it, but at the same time very happy.

EZ: Any hesitations in returning for American Wedding?

TIN: Yeah, which bank account I was going to deposit all that money! (laughs) No, I didn't have any hesitations.

EZ: Do you share a special sort of bond with the cast members that you appeared alongside all three films?

TIN: It's one of those things where it's kind of like a group of high school friends where when we're all together we sort of have this nostalgic sense to, you know, that time. And I mean certainly I keep in touch with a few of the cast members, but because of our careers we obviously don't spend that much time together. There's definitely, you know, when we're all together, definitely a sense of memory there.

EZ: You are also very gifted musically. Where are you at the moment? I heard you were looking to launch a solo career and play some rock music.

TIN: Yeah, I had a band a few years back, which, it became difficult to make time for a band just based upon rehearsals and gigging, so then I kind of just started recording on my own. I finished an EP with some rock songs, earlier this year, or last year - I think I finished it last year (laughs). So now I'm writing for a new rock album that I'm going to release next year.

EZ: You've been acting now over 15 years. In that period was there ever a stage where you felt a bit rundown, and needed to take a break?

TIN: Well I think that's sort of how I got involved with music. Just 'cause there is a lot of downtime between projects sometimes. Sometimes, you know, you're finishing one project the same day you're starting a new one. You sort of have these runs, it's kind of like surfing when the sets come in, and then there's sort of like this lull period afterwards when you wait for the next set. So that's why I started playing guitar, to kind of keep my sanity. And then writing and directing also has accomplished the same for me. I don't think I ever really have been burnt out on it. I think there's certain aspects of any business that are challenging, or sometimes frustrating, but my passion for the craft has always been solid.

EZ: You're involved with the upcoming Guy in Row Five. What's your part in that project?

TIN: I basically went in and did a cameo role just for one day of work. It was a friend of a friend's project, in fact, it was Clare Kramer's friend. And Clare had done a role in LA DJ, so she called me about her friend's project. You know, she had done me a favor by working in my film, so it was the return favor time.

EZ: In American Pie you have what has now become the infamous "Next Step" speech. What is the next step for you in terms of film?

TIN: I'm still continuing my acting career, and looking forward - I have a couple projects coming up. I'm looking forward to just acting, because that will be sort of a vacation for me. Not too much responsibility. I'm kind of throwing around some ideas with my brother on a new script that I think we're gonna work on. I finally pitched him something he's gonna like. And I've got another directing gig that I'm attached to, so I'm gonna try to do it all. That's my plan. Do everything that I can until I can't see straight because I'm so tired from working (laughs).

EZ: Do you have any final comments?

TIN: All I have to say is I've been in show business for quite a number of years and I enjoy entertaining people, and I hope people get a chance to be entertained by LA DJ. My brother and I have worked hard on it, and there's nothing better than making people laugh.

LA DJ is set to be released on DVD October 26. For more information, or to pre-order the film, visit http://www.theworldparty.com

Mike Altamura is a Victoria, Australia-based freelance entertainment journalist. He welcomes your questions and/or comments at mikealtamura@aol.com