Marijuana-Addled Jay

Background:

An American actor of Polish descent, Jason Mewes, who has made a career of playing a character he has described as “85 to 90 percent me,” is best known for playing the role of the trash-talking, drug-dealing, break dancing Jay in the Kevin Smith series of films Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), the acclaimed religious comedy Dogma (1999), the well-received Chasing Amy (1997), the unsatisfactory Mallrats (1995) and the hilarious, low budget hit Clerks (1994). Aside from his Jay role, Mewes also played roles in such films as View Askew productions Drawing Flies (1997) and Vulgar (2000), as well as non-Smith projects, including Spilt Milk (1999), Tail Lights Fade (1999), The Blair Clown Project (1999), Hot Rush (2002), the horror R.S.V.P. (2002), the black comedy High Times Potluck (2002), Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003), Tom 51 (2005), The Pleasure Drivers (2005), My Big Fat Independent Movie (2005), the comedy-thriller Feast (2005) and Nice Guys (2005).

Recently appearing in Jack’s Law (2006), the actor will play a variety of roles in the forthcoming Sam Maccarone’s TV: The Movie (2006), Bottom’s Up (2006) and the horror film The Tripper (2007). He is also set to reprise his Jay role for the installment Clerks II (2006).

Off screen, like his character Jay, Mewes was a drug addict. While filming Clerks and Mallrats, he was a marijuana and alcohol user. During Chasing Amy, he started his heroin use and was a heroin and Oxycodone addict during Dogma’s production. In March 1999, he was arrested for heroin possession in Keansburg, New Jersey, and was sentenced to probation in 2001 after pleading to ownership of heroin and a hypodermic needle. As for his private life, drug abuse-turned-sober Mewes has been romantically involved to Stephanie Sanford (born in 1977).


Toy Collector

Childhood and Family:

“I’m a big toy collector. I’ve been slowing down because my money’s been tight, but I collect toys, too. I have like five boxes of toys up in my attic right now. When I moved to my mom’s house, I had to put them up in the attic.” Jason Mewes

Jason Edward Mewes was born on June 12, 1974, in New Jersey. He attended New Jersey’s Henry Hudson Regional and graduated in 1992. A best friend to actor/director Kevin Smith, Jason now lives with Smith, his wife and his child in Smith’s Los Angeles home. Of Polish descent, Jason has an older sister named Beth Mewes (born in May 1971). When not working, Jason enjoys reading comics and collecting toys.


The Tripper

Career:

New Jersey born and bred actor Jason Mewes, who once worked the cash register at Kevin Smith’s comic book store, broke into showbiz in 1994 with writer/director/actor Kevin Smith’s widely-acclaimed, low-budget breakout Clerks, playing the grass smoking, fast talking, foul mouthed and over sexed, but very likeable Jay, alongside Smith’s Silent Bob. As soon as the film became a hit, Mewes took home a legion of fans. In the following year, the performer returned with his role of pothead slacker Jay in the Smith's follow-up Mallrats. Despite its relatively big budget and star cast, which included Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani and Ben Affleck, the film was a disappointment. As for Mewes, his character Jay stayed true to form in spite of the film’s faults, giving great insults, highly quotable one-liners and oddly perceptive life lessons in his unique clipped, almost lyrical diction.

Now a fixture in the Smith creative universe known as View Askew, Mewes landed a part in the 1997 company-produced film Drawing Flies, which starred Joey Lauren Adams, Martin Brooks and Renée Humphrey and was helmed by Matthew Gissing and Malcolm Ingram. Mewes was under the direction of the talented Smith again when he reprised his off-beat and philosophical drug dealing character of Jay in the sparkling romantic comedy Chasing Amy (1997) and in Smith’s acclaimed religious-themed comedy Dogma (1999), which further cemented Mewes’s association with the filmmaker and the character of Jay. The actor also added Spilt Milk (1999), Tail Lights Fade (1999), and The Blair Clown Project (1999) to his acting resume.

Benefiting from success, the actor merited a cameo in the reference-dropping, horror sequel Scream 3 (2000) and provided his voice for Jay in the notoriously short-lived animated series “Clerks” (2000). In between, Mewes was cast as Tuott the Basehead in the View Askew production Vulgar (2000). Mewes and Smith rejoined in 2001 to star in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, a Hollywood spoof that tracks the titular characters on a quest to reclaim their likenesses from Miramax, which plans to release the copied comedy Bluntman & Chronic, based on their alter egos. Blotting Mewes’s official starring debut, the film was well-received by both Askew admirers and a wide audience.

Next up for Mewes, he landed small roles in non-Smith projects such as Hot Rush (2002), the horror R.S.V.P. (2002), the black comedy High Times Potluck (2002), Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003), Tom 51 (2005), The Pleasure Drivers (2005), My Big Fat Independent Movie (2005) and the comedy-thriller Feast (2005). Mewes also starred as Quebert in Joe Eckardt’s comedy film Nice Guys (2005), opposite Lacey Chabert and Lacey Chabert, while in 2006, he had a feature role in director Gil Medina’s Jack’s Law.

The New Jersey native actor will soon appear in Sam Maccarone’s TV: The Movie (2006), star alongside Paris Hilton in the independent comedy Bottom’s Up (2006) and reprise his coveted role of Jay for the 2006 second sequel Clerks II. He is also scheduled to play a role in David Arquette’s upcoming horror The Tripper (2007).


Awards:
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