Interview by Cliff Stephenson
March 9, 2001

"Wasn't that the guy who was in...?"

How many times have you said that with a weird sense of deja vu, because you just know you've seen that actor somewhere before? Jason Lee is one of those actors. You probably know his face. You probably know his movies. (Mallrats, Dogma, Enemy Of The State, anyone?) But if you can't quite place the name with the face, that's okay. Because Jason Lee doesn't just star in Almost Famous, he is almost famous...

With five upcoming major studio films on the way, Jason Lee probably won't be "that guy" much longer. Long a critical favorite, and even snagging an Independent Spirit Award for his turn in Chasing Amy - the third installment in frequent Lee collaborator Kevin Smith's "Jersey Trilogy" - Lee is is on the tippy-tip of superstardom. Of course, Lee most recently starred in writer-director Cameron Crowe's ensemble feature, "Almost Famous," in which he played "Jeff Bebe," the lead singer of the fictional 1970's rock band Stillwater.

Currently, he has reteamed with Crowe for the multiple Oscar-nominee's latest feature, "Vanilla Sky." Playing Tom Cruise's best friend can't be all bad for one's career, can it? Lee can also be seen in the months ahead with Jennifer Love Hewitt in "Heartbreakers," Barry Sonnenfeld's ensemble comedy "Big Trouble," and Imagine Entertainment's "Stealing Stanford."

We recently got the chance to talk with Lee on the set of Vanilla Sky, and he even gave up his lunch break for us. (Didn't someone tell him it was DVDFILE, not Entertainment Weekly?) A funny, don't-hold-back kinda guy, Lee didn't hesitate to share his admiration for the directors he loves, the films he makes and his (not quite so nice) feelings towards the Academy's snubbing of Almost Famous come Oscar time.

"Mostly when I'm not working, I'm looking for work," says Lee. We don't think he'll have to look very hard much longer...

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