trivia

Last name "Suvari", pronounced "soo-VAHR-ee", is Estonian and first name "Mena" (from an Egyptian godmother), pronounced "MEE-nah".

Mena loves to eat, all types of food too. Her mom once said that she must have a hollow leg because she eats so much!

Mena was raised in a Rhode Island home that was built in 1870 and which she and her brothers believed was haunted. They saw several apparitions over the years, all of which she believed was friendly.

She was declared as the most "patriotic" artist of 2000 by Entertainment Weekly magazine, making allusion to her 3 consecutive movies with the word "American" on their titles: AMERICAN PIE (1999), AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999) and AMERICAN VIRGIN (2000). In 2001, she added AMERICAN PIE 2 (2001) to that list.

She dreaded being given lifts to and from school by her family - because they always made it so embarrassing.

Is in shock about how much her life has changed since she made the Oscar winning film AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999).

She previously played a cheerleader in AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999) just like in SUGAR & SPICE (2001).

Mena's religion is Episcopalian. During high school she used to be called "Bean".

Mena and husband Robert Brinkmann have taken considerable flak because of their age differential - 16 years. Robert is a cinematographer.