Joey Lauren Adams | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Adams atGalaxyCon Columbus in 2022 | |
| Born | (1968-01-09)January 9, 1968 (age 57) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, director |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse | |
Joey Lauren Adams (born January 9, 1968)[1][2] is an American actress and director. Adams starred inChasing Amy, for which she was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller roles in otherKevin SmithView Askewniverse films.
Adams began her film career in 1977 with a small role inExorcist II: The Heretic. From there she began to find larger roles. In 1991, Adams appeared in "Top of the Heap", the 100th episode ofMarried... with Children, and subsequently starred in itsshort-lived spinoff. In 1993, Adams landed her first major film role as Simone inRichard Linklater'sDazed and Confused. The same year, she appeared in theSaturday Night Live spinoff filmConeheads as one of Connie Conehead's friends.
Two years later, Adams appeared inMallrats, written and directed byKevin 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 forChasing Amy, Adams was cast in the slapstick comedyBio-Dome, which was directed byJason Bloom. Adams played Monique, Bud Macintosh's (Pauly Shore) girlfriend.
Adams played a leading role in 1997'sChasing Amy, portraying Alyssa Jones, alesbian who falls in love with a man, played byBen Affleck. Later, Smith would describeChasing 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 inChasing 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 forBest Actress-Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. From there, Adams was originally slated to play the female lead in Smith's next film, 1999'sDogma, butLinda Fiorentino ultimately won the role.[4] However, she would later make brief appearances in two other Smith projects: the 2001 filmJay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and the 2004 animated shortClerks: The Lost Scene, featured on theClerks 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'sA Cool, Dry Place. The following year, Adams appeared in her first big-budget Hollywood release, playingAdam Sandler's love interest in the successful comedyBig Daddy. She then went on to appear in many smaller films, includingBeautiful andIn the Shadows. In 2005, she had a guest role in an episode of the TV seriesVeronica Mars.
Also in 2006, Adams released her directorial debut film,Come Early Morning, starringAshley Judd,Jeffrey Donovan,Diane Ladd,Tim Blake Nelson andLaura Prepon. The film, shot on location inLittle Rock, Arkansas, was selected for the 2006Sundance Film Festival.
In 2006, she, along withLian Lunson andNicole Holofcener, was awarded theWomen in FilmDorothy Arzner Directors Award.[5] On November 24, 2009,Interscope Records released Adams' directorial debut for a music video entitled "Belle of the Boulevard" byDashboard Confessional.
Adams returned to TV in March 2010, on theShowtime seriesThe United States of Tara. She appeared in six episodes as Pammy, a barmaid who falls for Buck, one of the title character'salternate 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. ButChasing 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 inNorth 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 fromNorth Little Rock Northeast High School in 1986. She announced her intention to pursue acting after one year as an exchange student inAustralia.[8] In a May 7, 1997, appearance onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno to promoteChasing Amy, Adams revealed she was a niece toHee-Haw cast member and ordained ministerGrady 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(withCarmen 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 |
"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.
