Jason Mewes biography
Jason Mewes is an American actor who launched his career through director Kevin Smith's film Clerks, where he brought to life the character of drug dealer and crude jokester Jay. Mewes would go on to reprise this role multiple times in both Smith's films (Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, etc.) and other projects (Scream 3). However, Mewes's path to fame was challenging, and his character Jay was largely based on the actor himself. His net worth: $5 million.
Childhood and Youth
The childhood of a boy born in summer 1974 to a woman who had run-ins with the law and struggled with heroin addiction can't be called happy. Jason did not know the name of his father at all. His mother, who had him late in life at 41, showed little interest in raising him: she was either hunting for drug money (mainly by stealing credit cards from mailboxes) or serving time in prison. Jason and his sister Beth were raised by their aunt.
The boy grew up under his aunt's care in the port city of Highlands, a working-class area of New Jersey. There he attended Henry Hudson School.Despite his mother's devil-may-care attitude, Jason didn't turn into a scumbag. Yes, he was a problem child to some extent, but as his best friend Kevin Smith later said, he had a million-dollar, golden heart.
Meeting Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith's parents' house and Jason Mewes's aunt's house were two blocks from each other. During their school years, Kevin didn't know Jason personally, but he often heard rumors about the troublemaker's latest antics. In the 80s, as Smith later recalled, Mewes was something of a local legend, though "I didn't really believe all that nonsense people said about him."
When Smith decided to put his film school knowledge to work and began writing the script for his future film Clerks, he didn't hesitate for a second to write Jay into the plot. The character was essentially based on Jason. Kevin cast himself as Silent Bob, Jay's faithful companion who barely speaks a word throughout the entire film.
Career: with a friend through life
Work on the movie Clerks began in 1992 and lasted almost 2 years. By spring 1994, the friends had become overnight sensations. This amateur black-and-white film, shot on Kevin Smith's dime for what seemed like pocket change in Hollywood terms ($26,000 plus $27,000 for music rights) won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival, and the success launched Silent Bob and his wisecracking sidekick Jay into Smith's next directorial projects.
In 2003, Jason checked into rehab once more, but after treatment, he relapsed. During this dark period, he began having suicidal thoughts; he told Kevin multiple times that he wouldn't make it to 30. It wasn't until 2006 that he finally beat his addiction for good. That same year saw the release of Clerks II, which was unthinkable without Jay and Silent Bob.
Jason Mewes personal life
In 1997, Jason started dating Stephanie Sanford, a saleswoman he met at her workplace and immediately asked out. Mewes helped her quit her job and hired her as his personal assistant. No one knew that Stephanie was a hard drug addict, and it was she who worsened Jason's addiction. Once again, Kevin Smith helped him escape this toxic relationship.
Jason Mewes now
For a while, Mewes got into voice acting for video games and used Jay's voice in Scarface, though he actually played a villain in that game.In 2019, the restless Smith pitched his friend on returning to their beloved characters in a new project called Jay and Silent Bob Reboot – a satirical take on Hollywood's obsession with remakes and sequels, following two inseparable friends who try to stop a reboot being made about themselves.
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