In Love wIth - Rachel Bowie

Photo Credit: Mitchell McCormack/Corbis Outline
In L
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n Love with Lewis
The hunky star of Sex and the City 2
talks about love, life and travel — and
explains why the success of Sex hinges
on one thing: a great story.
By Rachel Bowie
J
ason Lewis’s bags are packed. In less
than 24 hours, the blond-haired,
blue-eyed star of Sex and the City 2
is hopping a plane to Hawaii for two
weeks of sun, kite surfing and vacation
with friends. “I can’t wait,” he says. “I love
it over there. I have a lot of work coming
up so I thought I would take the opportunity to go while I still could.”
For Lewis, it’s a smart move to make.
The release of the second film is less than
a month away, and he knows all too well
the mania that surrounds the cast, the
show, the movies — anything to do with
Sex. Rewind to 2003 when his character,
Jerry “Smith” Jerrod, was first introduced
— a handsome waiter-turned-actor arriving in the show’s sixth and final season to
woo Samantha Jones (played by Kim Cattrall). It wasn’t long before Lewis swept
Samantha — and millions of Sex and the
City fans — off their feet. He returned
for the show’s first feature film, and to
the surprise and delight of viewers, he’s
back again for Sex and the City 2, reprising
the role that made him a star.
Here, Lewis talks about life before and
after Sex and explains why New York will
always be in his heart.
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In Love With Lewis
Continued from page 45
What is it like to be back for Sex and the City 2? For me, it’s
just pure joy. It’s always been pure joy doing the work there. Everyone
involved is just so kind and facilitating.
When we last left off, you and Samantha had called it quits
— were you surprised when the producers asked you to come
back for the second film? I was a little surprised! I wasn’t sure that
they really needed me there, but I was very flattered and appreciative,
to tell you the truth.
Tell me about your role in the movie — what has Smith Jerrod been up to since we last left off ? He’s gone further along
in his career as an actor, and he’s found himself a decent amount of
success and fame.
It must have been fun to have the chance to bring your
character back to life again… Yeah, it really was. He’s such a
light, wonderful person. It’s not like a grueling exposition of my soul
— Smith is a lot of fun to play.
What was your reaction when they called to tell you that
you’d be back for the second film? Probably a little more
than a simple thank you [he laughs]. It’s fun — and it’s a wonderful group of people. We’re kind of vagabonds. When it comes
to being an actor, you move from production to production, so
to get some of the same people in the same place again is pretty
cool.
Jason Lewis as Jerry “Smith” Jerrod
and Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones
in Sex and the City 2.
(Craig Blankenhorn)
What is it like to transition a show like this from TV to film?
The level of production they were running for the show itself was so
phenomenal, and so many of the people that were involved in the show
were involved in the film. It really made everything seamless. Actors
are lucky — generally, our work is seamless. We’re not lugging lights.
We get pampered on our way to the set and we get pampered on our
way back out. So, it was pretty fun.
Is it a challenge to manage audience expectations with a show
like this that people feel so attached to? You know, I really don’t
tune into that too much. I just do my job. I’m sure Michael Patrick
King [the writer/director for Sex and the City 2] feels some pressure,
but he’s an incredibly talented man. So if he does have those demons,
I think they’re well answered.
Smith Jerrod is a role where you really get to hang with
four of New York’s most beloved ladies — what is it like
for you guys to reunite? It’s funny, we see each other here and
there, but I don’t call the girls up all the time. I don’t think they’re as
into jumping off mountains as I am. But, they’ve always all been very
sweet to me — I love seeing them.
Looking back, how would you say your life has changed
since you first took on this role? I have more surfboards. I’m older. It was certainly a major part of helping me along in my career, and
advancing me in my own success, but I try and keep it really simple. All
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I ever really wanted in life was a few toys.
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In Love With Lewis
Continued from page 47
What is your favorite part about playing Smith Jerrod? To
this day, just taking over blocks of New York. My favorite part was all
the production time in New York City. I love shooting there. It is an
amazing city. Both the show and the film do a wonderful job depicting everything we’ve got there, from the diversity to the interest.
With filming, was there a lot of secrecy involved in order to
avoid the paparazzi? Yeah, they have to be pretty secretive with
the script and with filming and I agree with that. I don’t really get the
spoiler culture. I grew up with a deep love of stories and I like finding
out the story at the end.
One of most interesting parts about Sex and the City is that
the city really plays its own character. Looking back, what
was the most memorable location where you filmed? One
of my favorites was the episode of the show that we shot in Madison
Square Garden. I didn’t actually have to shoot on those days, but it
was in one of the episodes I was in. I snuck over there and did some
layups into the basket just because I could. It was incredible.
It must never get old to have access to some of those places… It doesn’t. That’s one of my favorite parts about being an actor, and one of my favorite parts about playing that role: the access.
You get to see some pretty cool things. Whether you’re working
down South or overseas for an adventure, you have unusual access
to homes and monuments and things that you wouldn’t normally get
to look at.
Did you spend a lot of time in New York before the show? I did.
The first time I went to New York was when I was 19 and I moved there
when I was 22. I’ve spent almost 10 years of my life living in the city.
What do you remember from that time when you first
moved here? The first time I went into New York, I took a $100
cab ride. Yeah…I was a sucker [he laughs].
Oh no! Where were you trying to go? The Lower East Side. I
was wide-eyed and 19. When I went back, I was a little tighter with
my money. I remember one of my first experiences in New York. I
met somebody who invited me to go over to a club on 21st Street
and Sixth Avenue. I had just moved from Paris. On the walk over to
the club, I saw one cab cut off another, and they got into a screaming match. One dude threw his coffee mug through the other guy’s
window. And then I walked by the Gay Pride parade. It was actually
pretty epic. All I could think was, “I’m here!”
Only in New York… New York City, it’s awake!
Was it an acting role that brought you to New York from
Paris? I was actually still modeling. When I first got to New York, I
was just a kid.
You grew up in California, went to school out there, and
were even in a fraternity — how did all of that lead to modeling and then acting? Modeling was kind of a means to an end
and then I tripped into acting. It all started with a fascination with
traveling. I was living in Paris and modeling was a way to stay there
and not starve. I was good at business and that started taking me
around the world.
When did you make the switch to acting? I tripped into my
first acting gig and I liked it so much. It’s not something I grew up
around, but I grew up living in libraries and it occurred to me that
acting is really just storytelling so I started pursuing it.
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In Love With Lewis
Continued from page 49
So for you, acting really goes back to your love of a
good story… I grew up with my nose planted in the spine of
a book. I feel pretty fortunate to be able to do something that I
have such an active interest in.
And every day is probably very different… It is. There
really isn’t a whole lot of room to complain. Every time I go to
work, even if the hours are long, it’s some new location. Sometimes I’m outside, sometimes I’m in, but it’s an interesting life.
You mentioned that you tripped into acting — what was
your first gig? It was a show called High Sierra Search and Rescue.
It was shot up in the mountains about a search and rescue team.
If I remember correctly, I think I did a lot more snowboarding
than acting! [he laughs] But it combined my two passions — travel
and acting — and really satisfied me on every level.
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Going back to the show, how do you think Sex and the
City manages to stay relevant, over 10 years since it
first premiered? It all goes back to the story. Special effects
and sensationalism in any form of entertainment is immediately
fascinating, but the story is what moves us. The talent that was
behind making Sex and the City is just incredible. The writers take
characters and stay true to them, all the way to the end. They
also touch human issues in a way that allows us as an audience to
express and understand ourselves. To me, that’s the greatest part
of a story. That, and entertaining the audience of course.
Has the show had any impact on your personal life? Of
course it has. Life’s how you look at it. It doesn’t seem to hinder
me much. In terms of traveling, I’ve always had a motto to be
a traveler, not a tourist. I just get involved where I’m at and it
seems to go away pretty quickly.
Has it changed your dating life at all? I suppose it has, but
dating is always a complicated matter. I really don’t think I can
pass off anything that I’ve got going on in my dating life with
that.
What’s coming up next for you? I just filmed a guest appearance on a new show called Love Bites. I also shot a guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother, and that was incredibly fun, too.
That’s such a great show. I got to film with Malin Ackerman and
Chris Kattan, and it was some really fun, goofy comedy. Other
than that, I just finished up another TV show and a film so we’ll
see what happens with all that. I’m going to take off from Hawaii to do a USO Tour before I go and do the Sex and the City
premiere and all that.
After everything that this role has become, what will
you take away from the whole experience? What have
you learned? I think that would be a laundry list really. Everything is about gaining experience. In terms of working professionally, every situation is different. The fact that I ran into a
situation that was filled with so much talent and professionalism
and decency? I feel incredibly lucky.
Sex and the City 2 opens in theaters on May 27, 2010.
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