Seann William Scott of 'Role Models,' in a reflective mood

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Stopping in Phoenix recently to promote "Role Models," Seann William Scott was in a contemplative mood.In a phone interview, he said he's more relaxed now after years of straining to avoid being typecast."I've made really calculated decisions and decided that I'm not that effective in certain movies," Scott said."In 'Mr. Woodcock,' I tried the Ben Stiller role and it didn't work. This is a business, and the most important thing is that a movie makes money and you get more opportunities."Scott, a 32-year-old from Minnesota who hit the big time as Steve Stifler in the "American Pie" movies, said he made peace with his persona after watching "Wedding Crashers.""I saw Vince Vaughn in 'Wedding Crashers' and he rocked. It reminded me of 'Swingers,' and I'd been waiting to see him do that for a long time, to go back and play a character with a lot of the same characteristics. ... I don't care about being typecast. The truth is, I'm blessed to be doing what I do."In "Role Models," Scott plays Wheeler, a wily overgrown teen-ager and foil for best pal and co-worker Danny (Paul Rudd). After an ill-advised truck stunt, the men are sentenced to community service with a mentorship program.The movie is a string of impeccably timed skits loosely connected by the story. Scott cuts loose in a way he hasn't since "American Pie" days. Radiating mayhem and unbridled lust, Wheeler seems like a grown-up version of Stifler. That is, if you consider the juvenile Wheeler to be grown up.After Scott signed on to the film, he chose Rudd, whom he didn't know, and the duo rewrote the dialogue to fit in with their respective visions."Paul and I had the chance to write our own characters for the movie, pretty much," Scott said. "It was pretty much written by the time we filmed it, but we improvised a lot of it. I'd say it was 50-50 with the stuff we improvised."Scott said he was uneasy about the movie at first because he thought the humor veered too closely to inside-joke territory."I thought it was funny and it's good to see other people are thinking that, too," Scott said. Unlike most actors and filmmakers, the fact that Scott is pleased with his movie actually means something because he's open about trashing his films that stink. He's particularly venomous about "Mr. Woodcock" and "The Dukes of Hazzard," which he calls his two worst."I guess I really love what I do. I love movies more than I love acting," Scott said. "I think I'm pretty OK to be able to watch myself and think about what worked or didn't work. At least with these formulaic comedies, I'm capable of being able to say I know where my strengths lie. I like movies and I love to laugh."Scott has moved into a filmmaker role, producing and starring in the comedies "Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach," which Scott fears will go directly to DVD, and "Coxblocker," which he's trying to get off the ground at Paramount.Scott is convinced that the success of "Role Models" will determine the fates of those two films.Of "Balls Out," he said, "I don't know if I did a very good job of producing. ... It's one of the funniest movies I've made and it might get an NC-17 rating. Who knows? Maybe Sony will decide to put it out in theaters. (Sony announced Monday the film will go directly to DVD Jan. 13.) I'd really like to (produce more). To have more success in movies and solidify a place in the genre. I'd like to have a little bit more control, if anything."(Pvillarreal(at)azstarnet.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)