Hollywood star Thomas Ian Nicholas has revealed his very surprising relationship with Australia.
The American actor, best known for playing Kevin Myers in the popular sex comedy franchise American Pie, is heading Down Under to perform with his music group, The Thomas Ian Nicholas Band.
Thomas will showcase his lesser-known musical talents alongside his bandmates, as well as hosting a screening of the 1999 classic that made him famous, and answering fan questions during a Q&A session.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia ahead of the tour, Thomas revealed the country holds a special place in his heart as he has a very famous Australian relative for a long time.
He is linked to notorious bushman Ned Kelly – arguably one of Australia’s most notorious bandits from the mid-19th century, who ran an “industrial scale” horse stealing operation in Victoria.
Thomas still has family in Western Australia, and although his tour won’t take him to visit them, he plans to head to the State Library of Victoria to see Kelly’s famous shield.
Hollywood star Thomas Ian Nicholas has revealed his very surprising connection to Australia before touring the country with his music group, the Thomas Ian Nicholas Band.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Thomas revealed that the country holds a special place in his heart as he has a very famous Australian long-term relative – notorious bushman Ned Kelly.
“Yes, I’m a little bummed out because I couldn’t book something on the West Coast where all my family is,” he said.
“I have a cousin near Melbourne who will come to see me when I’m there.
“This will be my first time in Melbourne and I’m definitely planning on going to the library to see Ned Kelly’s armor from my great grandfather…was he cool or cool?”
“I can never remember how much he was, but he was Ned Kelly’s uncle.”
While Thomas was visiting Australia for his music tour, he first gained international fame when he played Kevin Myers in the 1999 film Runaway Hot American Pie.
He went on to reprise the role in the three subsequent theatrical versions of American Pie, in what became a billion-dollar film franchise.
Thomas stars alongside an all-star cast including Jason Biggs, Jennifer Coolidge, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, Alyson Hannigan, and Seann William Scott.
The comedy tells the age-old story of a group of teenagers trying to lose their virginity before college, and Thomas said he knew the film would be a hit.
Thomas has family living in Western Australia, and although his tour won’t take him there to visit them, he plans to visit the State Library of Victoria to see the famous Kelly Shield
“It was in my contract,” he joked. “I have to do at least four films, maybe five, and they have to be worth a billion dollars, otherwise I won’t even think about doing the first one.”
The film took cues from raunchy 1970s sex comedies such as Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Porkies, and Animal House.
Although he later admired it wholeheartedly, Thomas was not always convinced by the plot and initially threw the script in the trash, thinking it was salacious.
The first scene, which was not made the final cut, initially saw Vicki (Tara Reid) instructing Kevin on “how to move his fingers.”
“I’ll let you put the rest together in your mind,” Thomas said of that moment.
‘I threw the script in the trash thinking it was just smut. I didn’t understand that it was modern-day pork, and I love pork.’
The role of Thomas was originally offered to his high school friend Andrew Keegan, who turned it down to star alongside Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You.
They came back to me and once I read the script properly I saw all the heart in the characters. “It wasn’t just a teen sex comedy,” he said.
While Thomas was visiting Australia for his music tour, he first gained international fame by portraying Kevin Myers in the hot 1999 film American Pie (filmed with co-star Tara Reid).
Thomas stars alongside an all-star cast including Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, and Seann William Scott in the comedy.
“It was a real coming-of-age story, where anyone could find someone to relate to, or know someone who looked just like Stifler.”
The film spawned three well-received sequels, and Thomas hinted that there could still be a fifth more than 20 years later, as he said a follow-up had recently been discussed.
He said his son Nolan River, who made his acting debut in M Night Shyamalan’s 2021 thriller Old Fashioned, inadvertently started rolling.
“So the only truth I can share with you is that my son is following in my footsteps as an actor,” he explained.
He starred in M Night Shyamalan’s film Old. That was also an international film.
“We were at the premiere, and the president and CEO of Universal didn’t realize he was my son.
“They were like: ‘Like, no way. Oh, my God. Hey, by the way, we’re negotiating an American Pie 5, and this was the summer of 2021.
However, Thomas added that his hopes were dashed a bit after writer Adam Herz told him he was unable to come to terms with the studio.
The film spawned three well-received sequels, and Thomas hinted that there could still be a fifth more than 20 years later, as he said a follow-up was recently discussed
He added, “I think the bright side of it is that Universal is getting around to the idea. It’s a billion-dollar franchise, why wouldn’t they reconsider it, right?”
Thomas said he hopes the long-awaited sequel to Adam Sandler’s hit film “Happy Gilmore” will help with negotiations for a fifth American Pie.
“If the tone of Happy Gilmore 2 is accepted and successful, we will return to the era of broad comedy, which we haven’t seen in a while,” he said.
“I think people are ready for some lightness.”