When Jason Biggs played a fictional father in 2012’s American Reunion (the American Pie franchise’s fourth and final installment), he didn’t think too much of it.
“You know, it was fine,” the Outmatched star recalls in this exclusive clip from Thursday’s Pop of the Morning. “It was like, ‘Oh, cool. I have a kid.'”
Nowadays, Biggs approaches onscreen parenting with a new perspective. As an actual dad to sons Sid and Lazlo—who he shares with wife Jenny Mollen—the actor says he’s able to intertwine a newfound “emotional component” to his new sitcom character, a father of three very smart children.
“Even though it’s a comedy and it’s crazy, I can ground the whole [performance] in reality,” he tells POTM‘s Lilliana Vazquez, Scott Tweedie and Victor Cruz, adding that the experience of playing a parent on TV is “way different” after having kids of his own.
Since his children are so young (Biggs’ oldest will celebrate his sixth birthday next week), the longtime Hollywood personality jokes that neither have watched the films or television shows that appear in his IMDB credits.
That said, upon showing Sid a few scenes from Outmatched, the POTM guest says he responded with pride.
“It was so cute,” Biggs continues. “It was so moving. It was fun.”
The subject of fatherhood colors most of Biggs’ POTM interview, right from the start. After explaining that he attends the same gym as Cruz and admitting he feels a little intimidated watching the former NFL player work out, Tweedie calls him “a fit dad.”
“Oh, thanks man,” Biggs responds, before pulling up his collared shirt to reveal the Spanx bodysuit he’s wearing underneath. Amid laughter from the co-hosting panel, their guest goes on to say he’s been rocking shapewear since baby number one, even though his “dad bod preceded” Sid’s actual birth.
Hear Biggs praise Outmatched‘s young actors—and watch the hilarious Spanx unveiling—in the full interview clip above.
Watch Pop of the Morning weekdays at 11 a.m.!