Actor Jason Biggs may be most well known for his American Pie series, but the man behind the comedy hides many more talents, including a newfound passion for politics inspired by his latest role in Stephen Gyllenhaal’s dramedy Grassroots. The film is based on the true story of local politician Grant Cogswell (played by Joel David Moore) and his campaign manager Phil Campbell (Biggs), and also stars Lauren Ambrose, Christopher McDonald, and How I Met Your Mother regular Cobie Smulders. “I think it’s a cool story to tell right now, in our current political climate, about this notion of grassroots politics. They say all politics are local; it’s really true,” Biggs said in our exclusive interview. “I’m always trying to do things that are outside of my comfort zone and many times it’s just a matter of getting the right filmmaker to trust you and go there with you. Stephen believed in me.”

As a result of his Grassroots experience, Biggs decided to launch his own kickstarter campaign — The Grassroots Project — in collaboration with Gyllenhaal to support local-level candidates and efforts. “There is no specific kind of candidate [in mind]; there is no platform, there is no left, right, center, Democrat, Republican. It’s more about giving a voice to the people and conceptually backing grassroots politics,” Biggs said. “Personally, I think the Tea Party’s beliefs are off the wall. I’m too far left to believe in any of that stuff. But the truth is that these movements are what are shaping American politics. The fact is that no movement is too small, no idea is too small, no person is too small to actually get something done. And no idea too crazy, clearly.”

But Biggs admits that he wants to be the vessel for change, rather than its voice, and prefers to support others’ causes and projects instead of establishing his own charity or running for office. “I would run for Office Depot and my slogan would be ‘F— you, Staples,’” Biggs joked when asked what office he would run for, given the choice. “Is there an office with a guy that just sits at home and smokes weed all day? Because, if so, I’d run for that office and my slogan would be ‘Puff, puff, pass.’”

Read more about Biggs’ experience on set with Grassroots co-star Moore and director Gyllenhaal in our exclusive interview.

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