HOLLYWOOD -- At 54, as much in demand as ever, revered as a god of comedy by his co-stars in the American Pie movies, Eugene Levy makes the act of creation seem as effortless as flashing that familiar sly grin on his face.

"Boy!" Levy exclaims in surprise when I suggest that he is at the peak of his powers now. "It's called acting!"

The Hamilton-born, raised and educated Levy, who rose to fame as a member of the SCTV improv gang, is back at it in American Pie 2, which opens Friday.

Once again, the unnamed middle-aged man known simply as "Jim's Dad" is inspiring comedy mayhem by walking in on Jim at the most inopportune moments and then dispensing his unique insights and fatherly advice on things sexual.

"Maybe I feel a little more confident than I did maybe 10 years ago as a performer, I guess," Levy says, breaking down the force of the sentence with one "guess" and two "maybe" uses that suggest his insecurity reigns.

Levy says he cannot rest on the laurels of his successes -- such as the first American Pie or his collaboration with Christopher Guest in co-writing and then co-starring in the satirical masterworks Waiting For Guffman and Best In Show -- because he is too busy trying to get it right.

"I spend too much time trying to do well. The work process is not something that I just kind of toss off, you know. It's always kind of work and I'm always trying to think of another line. I'm always trying to think: 'Is this working?' More importantly: 'Is it real? Is it honest?' Just to make it real, I'm always working.

"I'm glad it looks that way (effortless), but there is never a minute where I sit there and say: 'Whew, I got that! Now the next few takes are a cakewalk.' "

Levy's studious approach to comedy may explain why he seems so serious, so thoughtful in interviews. With Levy, you ask a question, you get a reasoned answer, not a joke.

Such as on the issue of sequels. "It's always kind of a scary thing when you are talking about sequels," Levy says. He was extremely cautious about American Pie 2, although he, like most of the cast and crew, are genuinely pleased with how well it actually turned out, against all odds.

"It's a less scary thought to think about American Pie 3 than it was to think about American Pie 2," Levy says of his fear.

"But I think this is a great group, the creative people involved from Adam Herz (the screenwriter) to the Weitz brothers (executive producers Paul and Chris) to J.B. (J.B. Rogers, who took over the sequel's direction from the Weitz brothers after serving them as first assistant director on the original), were all working on it. And the cast!" Levy says, continuing his gush of praise. "I think it's a really bright, amazingly talented group of people."

As for his own character, Levy helped develop it from the more crude father in the original script, morphing "Jim's Dad" into a likable geek guy whom audiences appreciated.

"I haven't heard a negative thing about the character since the first movie came out (in 1999)," says Levy. "So I'm very proud to carry the moniker of 'Jim's Dad' now. I find myself now picking up some things from the character, just in terms of trying to stay on an even keel. I've actually tried to adopt a few personality traits of the character."

"Jim's Dad" means well and supports his son in anything, says Levy. "That is just such a great character trait in a father. You're kind of proud to play a guy like that."


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