Joey Lauren Adams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joey Lauren Adams
Adams at GalaxyCon Columbus in 2022
Born	(1968-01-09) January 9, 1968 (age 57) North Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, director
Years active	1977–present
Spouse(s)	Brian Vilim (m. 2014)

Joey Lauren Adams (born January 9, 1968) is an American actress and director. She is well-known for her role in the movie Chasing Amy. For this role, she was even nominated for a Golden Globe Award, which is a big award in movies. She has also appeared in other films by director Kevin Smith.

Her Acting Journey

Adams started her acting career in movies in 1977. She had a small part in Exorcist II: The Heretic. After this, she began to get bigger roles.

Early TV and Movie Roles

In 1991, Adams appeared in an episode of the TV show Married... with Children. She then starred in a short-lived TV show called Top of the Heap.

In 1993, Adams got her first important movie role. She played Simone in Richard Linklater's movie Dazed and Confused. That same year, she was in Coneheads, a movie based on a Saturday Night Live sketch.

Working with Kevin Smith

Two years later, Adams was in the movie Mallrats. This film was written and directed by Kevin Smith. Adams and Smith started dating after the movie was made. Their relationship inspired Smith's next movie, Chasing Amy. Their relationship ended, but they remained friends.

In 1996, while Smith was working on Chasing Amy, Adams also acted in the comedy Bio-Dome. She played Monique, who was the girlfriend of Bud Macintosh, played by Pauly Shore.

Starring in Chasing Amy

Adams played a main role in the 1997 movie Chasing Amy. She played Alyssa Jones, a character who falls in love with a man. This man was played by Ben Affleck. Kevin Smith later called Chasing Amy a "thank-you" to Adams. Besides acting, Adams also wrote and sang a song called "Alive" for the movie's soundtrack.

Her acting in Chasing Amy earned her several awards. She won the Chicago Film Critics Award and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award in 1997. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

Adams was first planned to be the main female lead in Smith's next movie, Dogma (1999). However, Linda Fiorentino ended up getting the role. Adams did appear briefly in two other projects by Kevin Smith. She was in the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. She also appeared in the 2004 animated short Clerks: The Lost Scene. In both of these, she played her character Alyssa Jones again.

Later Projects

After working with Kevin Smith, Adams continued to act in other movies. In 1998, she played a lively veterinarian's assistant in A Cool, Dry Place. She fell in love with a single father, played by Vince Vaughn.

The next year, Adams was in her first big Hollywood movie. She played Adam Sandler's love interest in the popular comedy Big Daddy. After this, she appeared in many smaller films. These included Beautiful and In the Shadows. In 2005, she had a guest role in an episode of the TV series Veronica Mars.

Directing Films and Music Videos

In 2006, Adams directed her first movie, Come Early Morning. It starred Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Donovan, and Diane Ladd. The movie was filmed in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was chosen to be shown at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, which is a very important film festival.

Also in 2006, Adams received the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award. This award is given to women who direct films. In 2009, she directed a music video for the song "Belle of the Boulevard" by Dashboard Confessional.

Return to Television

Adams returned to TV in March 2010. She appeared on the Showtime series The United States of Tara. She was in six episodes as Pammy, a barmaid.

Her Unique Voice

Adams is also known for her special voice. She has said that her voice is "not a normal voice." She believes it doesn't fit what people expect a woman's voice to sound like. She thinks it has helped her get some roles. However, she almost didn't get the part in Chasing Amy because some people worried her voice might bother viewers. One film critic said her voice had "the potential to hypnotize."

Her Life

Adams was born in North Little Rock, Arkansas. She is the youngest of three children. Her father owned a lumber yard. She grew up in North Little Rock and finished high school in 1986. After spending a year as an exchange student in Australia, she decided she wanted to become an actress.

Adams married Brian Vilim in 2014.

Filmography

Key

Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Movies

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Coneheads	Christina
1993	Dazed and Confused	Simone Kerr
1993	Program, TheThe Program	Louanne Winters
1993	Pros & Cons of Breathing, TheThe Pros & Cons of Breathing	Shirley
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	Cool, Dry Place, AA 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	Big Empty, TheThe Big Empty	Grace
2004	Gunman, TheThe Gunman	Daphne
2006	Break-Up, TheThe 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	Birthday Present, TheThe Birthday Present	Mom	Short film
2012	Mulberry Stains	Savannah
2012	Art Machine	Prudence
2013	Blue Caprice	Jamie
2013	Country Christmas, AA 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
2025	Oak	Mrs. Chase

Television Shows

See also

In Spanish: Joey Lauren Adams para niños