Joey Lauren Adams | |
|---|---|
 Adams at GalaxyCon Columbus in 2022 | |
| Born | January 9, 1968 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, director |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse | Brian Vilim (m. 2014) |
Joey Lauren Adams (born January 9, 1968) [1] [2] is an American actress and director. Adams starred in Chasing Amy , for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller roles in other Kevin Smith View Askewniverse films.
Adams began her film career in 1977 with a small role in Exorcist II: The Heretic . From there she began to find larger roles. In 1991, Adams appeared in "Top of the Heap", the 100th episode of Married... with Children , and subsequently starred in its short-lived spinoff. In 1993, Adams landed her first major film role as Simone in Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused . The same year, she appeared in the Saturday Night Live spinoff film Coneheads as one of Connie Conehead's friends.
Two years later, Adams appeared in Mallrats , written and directed by Kevin Smith. The two started dating during the film's post-production, and their relationship provided the inspiration for Smith's next film, Chasing Amy . The relationship did not last long, but ended on friendly terms. Meanwhile, in 1996, while Smith was finalizing the script for Chasing Amy, Adams was cast in the slapstick comedy Bio-Dome , which was directed by Jason Bloom. Adams played Monique, Bud Macintosh's (Pauly Shore) girlfriend.
Adams played a leading role in 1997's Chasing Amy, portraying Alyssa Jones, a lesbian who falls in love with a man, played by Ben Affleck. Later, Smith would describe Chasing Amy as a "sort of penance/valentine" and a "thank-you homage" to Adams. [3] In addition to her acting work on the film, Adams wrote and performed the song "Alive" for the film's soundtrack.
Adams' performance in Chasing Amy earned her both the 1997 Chicago Film Critics Award and Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Most Promising Actress, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress-Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. From there, Adams was originally slated to play the female lead in Smith's next film, 1999's Dogma , but Linda Fiorentino ultimately won the role. [4] However, she would later make brief appearances in two other Smith projects: the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back , and the 2004 animated short Clerks: The Lost Scene , featured on the Clerks X DVD. In both of these appearances, Adams reprises the role of Alyssa Jones.
Her post-Smith projects included playing a spunky veterinarian's assistant who falls in love with a single father (Vince Vaughn) in 1998's A Cool, Dry Place . The following year, Adams appeared in her first big-budget Hollywood release, playing Adam Sandler's love interest in the successful comedy Big Daddy . She then went on to appear in many smaller films, including Beautiful and In the Shadows. In 2005, she had a guest role in an episode of the TV series Veronica Mars .
Also in 2006, Adams released her directorial debut film, Come Early Morning , starring Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Donovan, Diane Ladd, Tim Blake Nelson and Laura Prepon. The film, shot on location in Little Rock, Arkansas, was selected for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2006, she, along with Lian Lunson and Nicole Holofcener, was awarded the Women in Film Dorothy Arzner Directors Award. [5] On November 24, 2009, Interscope Records released Adams' directorial debut for a music video entitled "Belle of the Boulevard" by Dashboard Confessional.
Adams returned to TV in March 2010, on the Showtime series The United States of Tara . She appeared in six episodes as Pammy, a barmaid who falls for Buck, one of the title character's alternate personalities.
Adams is also known for her distinctive voice which one film critic referred to as that of a "sex-kitten-on-helium". [6] Regarding her voice, Adams commented: "It's not a normal voice. It doesn't fit into people's preconceptions about what a woman's voice should sound like. My mom doesn't think I have an unusual voice, though. I'm sure it's helped me get some roles. But Chasing Amy I almost didn't get. There was concern the voice would grate on some people, which some critics said it did." [7] Another film critic said that whether viewers loved it or hated it, her voice had "the potential to hypnotize." [8]
Adams was born in North Little Rock, Arkansas, the youngest of three children. Her father was a lumber yard owner. [1] Adams grew up in the Overbrook neighborhood of North Little Rock and graduated from North Little Rock Northeast High School in 1986. She announced her intention to pursue acting after one year as an exchange student in Australia. [8] In a May 7, 1997, appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to promote Chasing Amy , Adams revealed she was a niece to Hee-Haw cast member and ordained minister Grady Nutt. [9]
Adams married Brian Vilim in 2014. [10]
| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Coneheads | Christina | |
| 1993 | Dazed and Confused | Simone Kerr | |
| 1993 | The Program | Louanne Winters | |
| 1993 | The Pros & Cons of Breathing | Shirley | |
| 1994 | Sleep with Me | Lauren | |
| 1994 | S.F.W. | Monica Dice | |
| 1995 | Mallrats | Gwen Turner | |
| 1996 | Bio-Dome | Monique | |
| 1996 | Drawing Flies | Hippy Chick | |
| 1996 | Michael | Anita | |
| 1997 | Chasing Amy | Alyssa Jones | Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (with Carmen Llywelyn) Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance |
| 1998 | A Cool, Dry Place | Beth Ward | |
| 1999 | Big Daddy | Layla Maloney | Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Comedy |
| 2000 | Bruno | Donna Marie | |
| 2000 | Beautiful | Ruby | |
| 2001 | Harvard Man | Chesney Cort | |
| 2001 | Dr. Dolittle 2 | Squirrel | Voice |
| 2001 | Reaching Normal | Sarah | |
| 2001 | In the Shadows | Clarissa Huston | |
| 2001 | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Alyssa Jones | |
| 2002 | Grand Champion | Hallie | |
| 2002 | Beeper | Inspector Julia Hyde | |
| 2003 | The Big Empty | Grace | |
| 2004 | The Gunman | Daphne | |
| 2006 | The Break-Up | Addie Jones | |
| 2007 | Bunny Whipped | Ann | |
| 2008 | Trucker | Jenny Bell | |
| 2009 | ExTerminators | Kim | |
| 2010 | Endure | Sirena Lane | |
| 2011 | Big Swim | The Egg | |
| 2011 | Apart | Dr. Jane Sheppard | |
| 2012 | The Birthday Present | Mom | Short film |
| 2012 | Mulberry Stains | Savannah | |
| 2012 | Art Machine | Prudence | |
| 2013 | Blue Caprice | Jamie | |
| 2013 | A Country Christmas | Renae Logan | |
| 2013 | She Loves Me Not | Beth | |
| 2014 | Making the Rules | Becca | |
| 2014 | Sequoia | Bev | |
| 2014 | Valley Inn | Althea | |
| 2014 | Animal | Vicky | |
| 2014 | All the Birds Have Flown South | Tonya | |
| 2019 | Jay and Silent Bob Reboot | Alyssa Jones | |
| 2022 | Tankhouse | Deirdra | |
| 2024 | Greedy People | Bobette | [11] |
| 2025 | Oak† | Mrs. Chase | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Top of the Heap | Mona Mullins | 7 episodes |
| 1991 | Married... with Children | Mona Mullins | Episode: "Top of the Heap" |
| 1991 | Married... with Children | Cousin Effie | Episode: "Buck Has a Belly Ache" |
| 1992 | Vinnie & Bobby | Mona Mullins | 7 episodes |
| 1992 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Dianne | Episode: "Words Up!" |
| 1993 | Married... with Children | Janie | Episode: "The Wedding Show" |
| 1995 | Love & War | Vicky | Episode: "Atlantic City" |
| 1995 | Out of Order | Whitney | Episode: "Strange Habit" |
| 1995 | Double Rush | Dee Dee | Episode: "Slamming Into a Car Isn't Good" |
| 1996 | Second Noah | Darby | 5 episodes |
| 1999 | Hercules | Electra | Voice, episode: "Hercules and the Complex Electra" |
| 2003 | As Told by Ginger | Thea Mipson | Episode: "Far from Home" |
| 2003–04 | Stripperella | Catt | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2005 | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Rachel | Voice, episode: "A Scooby-Doo Valentine" |
| 2005 | Veronica Mars | Geena Stafford | Episode: "Weapons of Class Destruction" |
| 2009–10 | Party Down | Diandra Stiltskin | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Tough Trade | Shawnelle | Television film |
| 2010 | United States of Tara | Pammy | 6 episodes |
| 2010 | Frenemies | Joy Hardwick | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2012 | Supermoms | Kelly | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2013–14 | Switched at Birth | Jeniece Papagus | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Grey's Anatomy | Dr. Tracy McConnell | Episode: "Sledgehammer" |
| 2016–17 | Still the King | Debbie Lynn Cooke | 26 episodes |
| 2022 | The L Word: Generation Q | Taylor | 3 episodes |
Chasing Amy is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams and Jason Lee. The third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series, the film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Adams), to the displeasure of his best friend (Lee).
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, characters who also appeared in Smith's later films Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and Clerks III (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the "View Askewniverse", named after Smith's production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.
Dogma is a 1999 American fantasy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also stars with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, George Carlin, Linda Fiorentino, Janeane Garofalo, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Salma Hayek, Bud Cort, Alan Rickman, Alanis Morissette in her feature film debut, and Jason Mewes. It is the fourth film in Smith's View Askewniverse series. Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson, stars of the first Askewniverse film Clerks, appear in the film, as do Smith regulars Scott Mosier, Dwight Ewell, Walt Flanagan, and Bryan Johnson.
Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by American actors Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively. They appear in the View Askewniverse, a fictional universe used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and produced by Smith.
Jane Therese Curtin is an American actress and comedian.
Laraine Newman is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Newman was part of the original cast of NBC's sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until her departure in 1980.
Mary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in the Western comedy film Goin' South (1978). Steenburgen went on to earn critical acclaim for her role in Time After Time (1979) and Jonathan Demme's comedy-drama film Melvin and Howard (1980), for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Clerks is a 1994 American black-and-white comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith in his feature directorial debut. Starring Smith along with Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonauer, Jason Mewes, and Scott Mosier, it presents a day in the lives of store clerks Dante Hicks (O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Anderson) as well as their acquaintances. It is the first of Smith's View Askewniverse films, and introduces several recurring characters, notably Jay and Silent Bob.
Lauren Lee Smith is a Canadian actress. She is known for her television roles, including Emma DeLauro in the syndicated science fiction drama Mutant X, Riley Adams in the CBS forensics drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, police Sergeant Michelle McCluskey in the CTV fantasy drama The Listener and Frankie Drake in the CBC detective series Frankie Drake Mysteries.
Lauren Tom is an American actress. She began her career on stage, winning an Obie Award. Her films include The Joy Luck Club (1993). On television, she is known for her roles in the NBC sitcom Friends (1995–1996), the ABC series Men in Trees (2006–2008) and Grace Under Fire (1997–1998), the CW series Supernatural (2012–2014), and the Disney Channel series Andi Mack (2017–2019).
Guinevere Jane Turner is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. She wrote the films American Psycho and The Notorious Bettie Page and played the lead role of the dominatrix Tanya Cheex in Preaching to the Perverted. She was a story editor and played recurring character Gabby Deveaux on Showtime's The L Word.
Lauren Ambrose is an American actress.
Coneheads is a 1993 American science-fiction comedy film from Paramount Pictures, produced by Lorne Michaels, directed by Steve Barron, and starring Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Michelle Burke. The film is based on the NBC Saturday Night Live comedy sketches about aliens stranded on Earth, who have Anglicized their Remulakian surname to "Conehead". Michelle Burke took over the role played by Laraine Newman on SNL. The film also features roles and cameos by actors and comedians from SNL and other television series of the time.
The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media, and characters from one story often reappear or are referred to in others. Smith often casts the same actors for multiple characters in the universe, sometimes even in the same film; Smith himself portrays the character of Silent Bob.
Amy Lou Adams is an American actress. Known for both her comedic and dramatic roles, she has been featured three times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actresses. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, and has been nominated for six Academy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Come Early Morning is a 2006 American film starring Ashley Judd and Jeffrey Donovan. It marked the directorial debut of Joey Lauren Adams. The film was shot throughout the metropolitan Little Rock, Arkansas area including Pulaski Heights, and Adams' hometown of North Little Rock. The film was an official selection for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. It premiered for wide release in Little Rock on December 14, 2006.
Carmen Llywelyn, also known as Carmen Lee, is an American actress and photographer.
"Mother and Child Reunion" is the two-part pilot episode of the Canadian teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation, which premiered on October 14, 2001 on the CTV Television Network. The episode was written by story editor Aaron Martin and series co-creator/creative consultant Yan Moore, and directed by Bruce McDonald. As with the majority of Degrassi: The Next Generation episodes, "Mother and Child Reunion" takes its title from a pop song, "Mother and Child Reunion", written and performed by Paul Simon.
Sara Chase is an American actress and singer best known for playing Cyndee Pokorny on the Netflix original series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She originated the role of Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby musical on Broadway. She is currently on medical leave and is due to return to the production in September 2024.
Aisha Alfa is a Canadian comedian and actress, best known for her recurring role as teacher Ms. Grell in the Degrassi franchise and her appearances as a reporter on the mock newscast series The Beaverton.
"I thought after Chasing Amy, I would be able to do anything I want, which definitely wasn't the case," the 31-year-old actress says.
That's what the 32-year-old Adams was doing this week while shooting James Toback's film, Harvard Man, at the Jarvis St. high school auditorium.
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