Alyson Hannigan is over the moon about Taylor Swift’s recent nod to the iconic film “American Pie” in one of her new songs. The actress, known for her role as Michelle Flaherty in the “American Pie” series, shared her excitement with Vulture after hearing Swift mention the 1999 comedy in her track “So High School.”
Hannigan recounted her reaction, saying she had a “full-on freakout” upon hearing the reference. The Grammy-winning singer croons, “I’m watching American Pie with you on a Saturday night / Your friends are around, so be quiet,” in the song. Hannigan, who stayed up late to listen to Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” was unaware that Swift would release an additional 15 tracks, including “So High School,” just a few hours later.
“I started listening to it, and when I got to ‘So High School,’ I was like, ‘What?!'” Hannigan recalled. “I thought maybe I was still sort of sleeping and imagining it. But when I heard it, I was freaking out. I woke up my entire family, who seemed less enthusiastic than I’d like them to be. Then I called a friend, and she and I had a nice freakout together.”
Hannigan expressed her joy, saying, “I was so happy. Basically, I was on the date with Travis and Taylor,” referring to Swift and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. The actress also shared that she and her “Dancing With the Stars” partner, Sasha Farber, caught Swift’s attention on social media shortly after the song’s release.
“I did a little story on Instagram and he filmed it and he posted it on his feed,” she said. “It was the two of us driving around listening to ‘So High School.’ He posted it on his feed, and it was liked by Taylor Swift! Like, why wasn’t it on my feed?!”
Reflecting on the legacy of the “American Pie” series, Hannigan noted that it wasn’t a stretch to imagine that Kelce, a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, had seen at least one of the movies. “Well, it’s not like I ever sat there and thought, ‘Oh, I wonder if Taylor and Travis have watched American Pie,'” she said. “But I do have to say that in the past 25 years, people ask me, ‘Oh, what do you get recognized for?’ And I always say that it depends where I am. If I were at a football game, it would definitely be American Pie. So it’s not that big of a leap to think that Travis had watched it.”
Hannigan’s excitement was palpable on social media as well. Following the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” she took to Instagram to share screenshots of her family counting down to its release and addressed the “American Pie” reference in replies to commenters. “I could barely function yesterday in the very best way,” she wrote in one comment, adding, “It’s like I’m basically on their date with them, right?” in response to another.
Hannigan’s fandom was evident during her stint on “Dancing with the Stars,” especially during the show’s Taylor Swift night. She and her partner Sasha Farber danced the Cha Cha to “You Belong With Me.” In a video the cast made for Swift, Hannigan was visibly emotional, saying, “Oh god, I can’t even…if she saw this, like seriously…you mean so much to me…thank you. I’m such a baby, I can’t do it, honestly she just means too much…I don’t know what to say.” Given her enthusiasm, it only makes sense that Swift should bring Hannigan onstage to accompany her on the flute when she performs “So High School” on tour.
Alyson Hannigan is clearly loving her tiny role in Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s love story. The actress reflected on the iconic movies she appeared in for a new interview with Vulture and was asked about Swift’s “So High School,” in which the superstar sings about her time spent with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end: “I’m watching American Pie with you on a Saturday night.”
Hannigan, who portrayed Michelle opposite Jason Biggs’ Jim in the beloved 1999 comedy, told the publication that she’s a Swiftie. “I had my little countdown waiting for the album to drop,” she recalled. “I texted my kids, ‘Don’t bug me, say ‘good night,’ just pretend I’m not here,’ because I am going to listen to this album without any interruption. I listened to the first part, went to sleep, and woke up to, ‘Holy cow, she’s released a second part!’ I started listening to it, and when I got to ‘So High School,’ I was like, ‘What?’ I thought maybe I was still sort of sleeping and imagining it. But when I heard it, I was freaking out. I woke up my entire family who seemed less enthusiastic than I’d like them to be. Then I called a friend, and she and I had a nice freakout together. I was so happy. Basically, I was on the date with Travis and Taylor.”
She added, “Sasha [Farber] was my partner on Dancing With the Stars. And I did a little story on Instagram and he filmed it, and he posted it on his feed. It was the two of us driving around listening to ‘So High School.’ He posted it on his feed, and it was liked by Taylor Swift! Like, why wasn’t it on my feed?”
“So High School” is one of two tracks on the extended anthology version of “Tortured Poets Department” that fans believe is about Kelce, along with “The Alchemy.” On the latter, she makes references to football games and sings, “Beer sticking to the floor, cheers chanted ’cause they said/ There was no chance trying to be the greatest in the league/ Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me.”
Taylor Swift’s new double-album “The Tortured Poets Department” came out on Friday, and it’s full of namechecks. On the title track, the pop star mentions rock legend Patti Smith; on “The Black Dog,” she summons pop-punk band the Starting Line. Both acts have shared their reactions. On Instagram, Smith posted a photo of herself reading Dylan Thomas, who Swift name-drops in the same sentence as Smith. “This is saying I was moved to be mentioned in the company of the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas,” Smith wrote in the caption. “Thank you, Taylor.”
The Starting Line also took to Instagram to give their thanks. “Dear Taylor,” the band wrote. “We heard the song, thank you for name checking our band. We feel flattered and humbled by the reverberations of love that have come back to us as a result. It’s an honor to have TSL memorialized on such a lovely song. You didn’t have to do that, but you did, and we appreciate it wholeheartedly. Respect! Love, The Starting Line.”
Along with those musicians, actor Alyson Hannigan responded to the reference to the 1999 film “American Pie” in “So High School.” “I’m watching American Pie with you on a Saturday night/ Your friends are around, so be quiet,” she sings. When fans in Hannigan’s Instagram comments asked how she felt to have the movie she starred in namechecked, she answered, “I could barely function yesterday in the very best way.”
Someone check in on Charlie Puth.
