1996–2013: Breakthrough with American Pie films Early in his career, Scott worked at
The Home Depot and the
Los Angeles Zoo to support himself between acting jobs. He also appeared in the
Aerosmith music video, "
Hole in my Soul." In 1996, Scott made his first on-screen appearance as Moondoggie on
The WB sitcom
Unhappily Ever After, in the episode "Beach Party." He later landed the role of Steve Stifler in the comedy film
American Pie (1999). Scott revealed that he was paid $8,000 for his supporting role in the film, which ultimately grossed over $235 million worldwide. He reprised the role in the film's three sequels:
American Pie 2 (2001),
American Wedding (2003), and
American Reunion (2012). For his performance in
American Reunion, Scott reportedly received a $5 million salary and a share of the profits. at
The Dukes of Hazzard premiere in 2005.|alt=|left Scott won two
Teen Choice Awards for Choice Sleazebag for his portrayal of Steve Stifler in
American Pie and
American Pie 2, and received an
MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence for
American Wedding. He also shared an
MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss with
Jason Biggs for
American Pie 2. Following the American Pie series, Scott appeared in a range of roles, including Billy Hitchcock in the horror film
Final Destination (2000) and Chester Greenburg in ''
Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), with the latter film emerging as a box office success, earning $73.2 million worldwide against a $13 million budget. He played Peppers in Old School'' (2003), which emerged as a moderate commercial success. That same year, Scott co-hosted the
2003 MTV Movie Awards alongside
Justin Timberlake.[12] In 2005, Scott portrayed
Bo Duke in
The Dukes of Hazzard (2005), which despite negative critical reception, grossed $111 million worldwide. In 2006, he was nominated for the
MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team, alongside
Jessica Simpson and
Johnny Knoxville, for their performances in
The Dukes of Hazzard. He voiced the character Crash in
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006) and reprised the role in its sequels,
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) and
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012).'' at Harry's Cafe de Wheels in
Melbourne.In 2007, Scott played a police officer in
Southland Tales, reuniting with
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, his co-star from
The Rundown (2003). The two also appeared in parody skits, including scenes from
The Matrix Reloaded (2003), which were featured on
The Matrix Reloaded DVD. Scott later hosted
Saturday Night Live and was a guest co-host on
Live with Regis and Kelly. He appeared as John Farley in
Mr. Woodcock (2007) and as Jeff Nichols in
Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot (2007). His next film,
Role Models (2008), received generally positive reviews and was a commercial success, earning over $92 million worldwide. He appeared in the action-comedy
Cop Out (2010) alongside
Bruce Willis,
Tracy Morgan, and
Kevin Pollak. To prepare for the role, Scott gained weight and refrained from exercising for six months. In 2011, he starred as Doug "The Thug" Glatt in the Canadian sports comedy
Goon, which emerged as a critical success and grossed $6.7 million worldwide. In 2012, he appeared in the ensemble film
Movie 43, in the segment titled "Happy Birthday." That same year, Scott received an honorary medal from the Philosophical Society at
Trinity College. In October 2013, he guest-starred in an episode of the
FX sitcom ''
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', playing Mac’s cousin, Country Mac.
2014–present: Continued film work and transition to television Scott portrayed Ted Morgan in the comedy-drama film
Just Before I Go (2015). He reprised his role as Crash in
Ice Age: Collision Course (2016) and returned as Doug "The Thug" Glatt in
Goon: Last of the Enforcers (2017). In 2018, he made a cameo appearance as a Vermont State Trooper in
Super Troopers 2. (left) and Scott on the set of
Goon: Last of the Enforcers (2017).Scott starred as Evan in the horror film
Bloodline (2018). In May 2018, he was cast as the new series lead in the
Fox television series
Lethal Weapon, portraying a new character, Wesley Cole. He replaced
Clayne Crawford, who was removed from the series following reports of on-set misconduct and hostile behavior.
Lethal Weapon was canceled by Fox on May 10, 2019, after three seasons. That same year, Scott played Martin, an abusive stepfather, in the
coming-of-age road film
Already Gone. In February 2020, Scott was cast as Father Joe in the
Fox comedy series
Welcome to Flatch (2022–2023), created by
Jenny Bicks and based on the British television series
This Country. The series was canceled after two seasons, with its final episode airing on February 2, 2023. From June to July 2023, Scott appeared alongside
American Pie co-star
Jason Biggs for
DoorDash's “Summer of DashPass” campaign, which featured television commercials and promotional content. In 2024, he appeared in the opening sequence of the
action comedy film
Jackpot!, playing a lottery winner who must fend off attackers in a
dystopian version of
California. ==Personal life==