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SEX AND THE CITY HAS BEEN GOOD TO
ACTOR JASON LEWIS. BUT THESE DAYS,
LIFE IS MORE ABOUT RUNS ON THE
BEACH THAN ADVENTURES IN BED.
BY LIZZIE SIMON | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVIS FACTOR/DR PHOTO MANAGEMENT
The Sex and the City blockbuster
is still red-hot in the theaters, but the film’s costar Jason Lewis is spending
time far away from the razzle-dazzle. The actor recently visited the
Hamptons to hang out with friends and bliss out solo on the shore. For Lewis,
the natural beauty of the area is the draw. It’s what keeps his heart and mind
replenished; it’s why he’ll return to this tiny part of the world again and again.
“I went running down the beach early in the morning,” says Lewis, “and at first I saw a
few people, but as I got further away from town, I was away for two hours without seeing a
single soul. That’s what I love about the Hamptons: the big, giant, wide-open beaches without
huge crowds on them. I grew up near the ocean, and it’s one of the most focusing things in life.”
For Lewis, the trip was a much-needed pit stop from the fast lane. “For me personally, balancing
that means doing the basic things,” he says. “A real and practical life, like having good friends,
hanging out with good drinks. Not just these overblown experiences.”
This is the surprising side of Jason Lewis, a guy who shrugs off Hollywood hype and claims to be
oblivious to the tabloids. A guy who in conversation will avoid superficial banter and try to redirect the
conversation toward what really matters in the world, or what’s really on his mind. He has an impressive
thoughtfulness that you only notice when you stop being distracted by his impressive good looks.
“You know, I’m still feeling pretty fortunate that I get to make a living
doing something I enjoy,” he says. “I really like the work.” Of course, he
wasn’t always a model/actor; he also put in several years as a carpenter/
waiter. He wasn’t even always a hunk. “I never really thought of myself as
good-looking when I was growing up,” he says. “I think I was kind of
goofy. I was cerebral, in my head, introverted. I hung out with everybody,
I kind of floated.”
He’s not floating anymore. In fact, Lewis has a slate of projects coming up
in the fall. On his mind in particular is a film project shooting in September,
a “romantic dramedy” titled
Textuality, in which he’ll star
opposite Rachel Blanchard.
“The characters are flawed,” he
says, “which is something I like.
They have nonpristine lives
with a lot of extracurricular stuff
going on. They’re not connecting,
and they’re trying to figure
out, How do you find that connectivity?
It felt very realistic,
very much the way life is. Life
isn’t always easy and it doesn’t
live up to these fairy-tale
notions we have. It comes very
herky-jerky, fast-forward, running
into walls, and you don’t
know where you’re going.
That’s why I like the writing.”
The 37-year-old actor may be enjoying a respite here on our shores from
what he calls the “malaise of celebrity,” but he isn’t exactly new to being
pampered, recognized, and in demand. He grew up in Newport Beach,
California, then moved to Milan 15 years ago to pursue modeling. There he
was quickly snapped up and featured in Guess, Hugo Boss, and Tommy
Hilfiger campaigns. Television soon came calling, and in 1998 he joined the
cast of Sex and the City as Smith Jerrod, the young, sizzling, looking-for-thereal-
thing-and-willing-to-deal-with-cancer love interest to Kim Cattrall’s
character, Samantha Jones. When the show ended, Lewis had recurring
parts on Charmed, House M.D., and Brothers & Sisters, in which he played
the love interest of Matthew Rhys’ character, Kevin Walker.
“In terms of playing a gay man for the first time, I was supported by a
really good story,” he says. “Am I gay? No. But I really don’t think people
should be so scared of sexuality. It’s like, so what? It was good writing. It
felt very much like a human issue and not a sexual issue. In the world
we’re living in, gay people are still horribly discriminated against. Why
does anybody need to be so affected by someone else’s happiness?
Some of these people show up 20 years in a row at the county clerk’s
office [to get married], knowing they’re going to be turned down. That’s
dedication and love. It’s not appearances. These are decent people.”
In his own life, Lewis is no
rush to get to the altar. “I think
it’s great if you find the person
you really should be doing
that with,” he says. “But I
don’t think you should be in a
goal-oriented place with marriage
and children. There’s
plenty of kids on the planet.”
Apparently, Lewis is still
looking for his other half. He
fell in love with actress
Rosario Dawson in 2004; the
two moved in together, but
split a year later. Despite
rumors linking him to Jennifer
Aniston, Lewis says they
never dated. “We met at one
of the Oscar parties. She’s a
really lovely girl. But I’d never met her before.”
And so this stunning, sensitive, and successful guy is single and on
the lookout, attracted, he says, to “strong, intelligent women. I like girls
who have their own sense of self.”
Sound like you? Well, then, remember: The next time you’re walking
down the beach in the early morning, quietly daydreaming, and suddenly
a familiar-looking babe from one of your most beloved television
shows appears, just be cool. Take a deep breath. Don’t call him Smith,
and don’t bring up Samantha. His real name is Jason. Do your best to
ignore his pretty face, attend to the seashells, and bond over the simple
pleasures right in front of you. H
| The complete article appears on page 100 in the July 11–July 17, 2008 issue of Hamptons. SUBSCRIBE NOW and get Hamptons delivered direct. |
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