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Superstar actor Seann William Scott stars as grocery store manager Doug in "The Promotion" alongside comedic legend-in-the-making John C. Reilly. Scott is known for his role as Stifler in "American Pie" (1999), "American Pie 2" (2001) and "American Pie 3: American Wedding" (2003), but this funny man is moving up to a new genre of comedy.

"The Promotion" is a comedian's delight; witty humor that deals with real life situations. And the funny thing is, "I had no desire to do comedy," Scott said. "It just happened."

He has also starred in films such as "Dude, Where's My Car?" (2000), "The Rundown" (2003), "The Dukes of Hazzard" (2005), "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown" (2006) and "Mr. Woodcock" (2007).

If you think this actor is funny on-screen, he's even better in person, and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. I recently sat down with Scott during a media day in Miami to talk about "The Promotion," high school, his brand-new puppy and more.

Q: In "The Promotion," it's so great to see you in a more mature role. What made you choose this role? Did you go out looking for this role or did they come to you? A: I went to them and pursued it. I loved the script and I just loved Steve Conrad's writing. I really wanted to play a character that was just real, and three-dimensional, and in a real world and a little more grown-up. I thought it was going to be, if it worked, good for me as an actor, and also as an artist to try something different.

Q: There is a big difference in the way you play your role in this film. How do you think your character in "The Promotion" compares to your roles in previous films such as "American Pie" and "The Dukes Of Hazzard"?

A: It's very different. It's just a real movie, not that those aren't real movies, but it's the kind of comedy that comes from real-life events; and he's married, and he's a quiet, good guy. He kind of has this internal dialogue, where every other character I've played has been outspoken and rash. The whole movie just feels very different to me.

Q: In your career thus far, what has been your most challenging role?

A: Probably "American Pie 3: American Wedding," because I was going back to play that role one last time, and I wanted to go out with a bang. I put a lot of pressure on myself to try to give as much as I could to the people that gave me a career. So I just re-wrote all my stuff and edited it. I wanted to make sure if I was going to fail, it was going to be my fault, not somebody else's. I had more people come up to me and tell me what they liked about that character than (the writers) did, so I'm like, "Let me do it because I know what these kids like."

Q: Do you enjoy the more subtle humor in "The Promotion," and are you happy with the final product?

A: I'm very happy with this movie. It's my favorite movie, I really love it. I think I enjoy this kind of humor more, as much as I like to laugh. ... I think John C. Reilly is just so great in this movie and so funny. I just feel like it's the kind of tone that appeals to me.

Q: How was it working with director Steve Conrad?

A: I enjoyed it very much. He's become one of my best friends, but I find the guy to have insane talent. I think he's going to be a director that people are going to be dying to work with. Jack Black is doing a movie with him next. He's really just an incredible writer. He wrote a movie for Brad Pitt ... he did "Weatherman." He's really great.

Q: In comedy, almost everyone dreams of working with John C. Reilly. How was that? A: It was really intimidating. He's really just so funny. Every day I would be blown away by what he's doing, and I had to struggle with maintaining confidence. He's just so good to me, and I'm a big fan of his. I actually find him to be one of the funniest guys in comedy in America.

Q: In the film, you are a manager at a grocery story. Have you ever worked at a grocery store in real life?

A: No, thank god. I may soon, who knows, in case this acting thing doesn't work out. I mean, I'll go and be like "I played a manager and I didn't really get a promotion, but I did in fake world so maybe you could just give me a job."

Q: We know you're involved in some upcoming projects _ "Little Big Men" being one of them. Tell me about those.

A: "Little Big Men" is now going to be called "Role Model" and its coming out Nov. 12. It's a super funny, R-rated comedy and Universal is putting it out. Paul Rudd is in it, Elizabeth Banks, McLovin from "Superbad." ... It's gong back to like old-school "Wedding Crashers," "American Pie" vibe. Then there are two other ones, "Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot" and "Gary the Tennis Coach." "Trainwreck" will come out as a dramedy, as a smaller movie which comes out in September; and "Gary the Tennis Coach" might be NC-17 and might go straight to DVD.

Q: What was your high school experience like?

A: I had a great experience. I was really lucky. I had great friends and I was a pretty intense athlete. I played a lot of sports _ baseball, basketball and football ...but I had a great core of friends that I'm still close with and still keep in touch with. My one friend is in California right now visiting my brother, and I'll see him tomorrow. Just really wonderful, really lucky, great family and friends.

Q: What was college like for you?

A: Well, I moved down to L.A. the middle of my senior year in high school. I graduated early to pursue acting, because I knew when I made the decision I had to leave right away so I wouldn't change my mind. I went to college for a year, a year and a half, out in L.A, but it was so hard to do both. ... You've got to pick one or the other.

Q: When did you realize you wanted to become an actor? Did this come naturally to you?

A: It was probably the summer before my senior year that I made the decision to become an actor. There was a bunch of circumstances, but I just knew it was something I needed to do. I really felt like I was going to make it, and I felt like I was getting better, but I never knew when it was going to happen. I never anticipated doing comedy. I wanted to do drama and then "American Pie" happened.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

A: I like to travel. I got a puppy two weeks ago, a yellow lab, so my time has revolved around him. But I usually like to travel. I like to go to Europe, and my next trip will be to South America.

Q: What can we find on Seann William Scott's iPod?

A: I listen to everything. I'm excited for the new Coldplay album. But I like The Rolling Stones, and I'm more of a Rolling Stones and Johnny Cash guy. But I listen to everything - a lot of indie rock. I don't listen to country that much, but I like classical and jazz.

Carli Saldsman is a graduate of West Boca Raton High School in Boca Raton, Fla., and a writer for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's TeenLink.