Q & A
Jersey Boy
Jason Biggs is proud of his Garden State roots
INTERVIEW BY CINDYSCHWEICH HANDLER
Jason Biggs likes the smell ofthe oil refineries near the Newark Airport. So much so, he wrote apoem about it.“ I wrote about the uniquely New Jersey experience of landing at Newark, driving past the oil refineries, and having the smelll hit you on the turnpike,” he says.“ For alot of peopleple who only do that and then go to New York, it’ s the only experience they have. Now when Ismell that smell, Iquite enjoy it.”
The poem,“ Scratch and Sniff,” was includedd in the anthology, What’ s Your Exit? ALiterary Detour Through New Jersey.
But it’ s not the only connection Biggs has tothe Garden State. Hewas born at Chilton Hospital in Pompton Plains, and, after spending 18 years on the West Coast, recently moved back to the East Coast with his wife, actress and author Jenny Mollen, and their sons, Sid, 4, and Lazlo, 7months. Now the couple is sharing— and laughing over— their own childrearing experiences in their new game show, My Partner Knows Best, which premiered on Lifetime TV on April 25.
We talked to Biggs about his home state, his career and how starring inAmerican Pie changed his life.
DO YOU THINK OFYOURSELF AS AN ACTOR, COMIC ACTOR, OR ACTOR AND COMEDIAN? That’ s agood question. I’ m known for doing comic acting, which is great, and I love doing that. But Istarted many moons ago doing dramatic stuff, and Idomore of that now.
IS IT TRUE YOUGOT YOUR SCREENACTORS GUILDCARDAT
AT 10 FOR APPEARING IN APATHMARK COMMERCIAL CIAL? Idid get aSAG card at 10, but Istarted acting and got my first manager when Iwas 5. Iwas following in my older sister’ s agent-
footsteps. She’ ssix to seven years my senior, and was in a dance group that achieved some success locally. The other moms took them into New York to act on Broadway, and my sister wanted to do that, so my mom agreed and got her an agent. When Iwas 5, he asked if Iwanted to audition, and
30 MAY 2018 WAYNE MAGAZINE