Actor Jason Mewes has had a colorful life, to say the least. He's become a hero to slackers, stoners, and college kids everywhere after spending the better part of the last 18 years playing Jay, the foul-mouthed, drug-dealing sidekick to Silent Bob in the comedies of director Kevin Smith.
Besides achieving a certain infamy both onscreen and off, Mewes has also endured the ups and downs of opiate addiction for more than a decade, which nearly destroyed his life and severely tested his longtime friendship with Smith (who played the role of Silent Bob). The good news, however, is that Mewes has turned things around, has been clean for almost two years, and is acting up a storm in TV shows like Todd and the Book of Pure Evil and flicks like Silent But Deadly and Big Money Rustlas.
He's also been busy the last few years recording his hit podcast "Jay and Silent Bob Get Old" with Smith, which was named one of the Best Podcasts of 2010 on iTunes. The weekly gabfest features the pair spinning funny (and utterly filthy) tales or just cracking wise with one another.
Mewes, who will record a live edition of the podcast with Smith later tonight at Stand-Up Live, took time to speak with Jackalope Ranch earlier this week about sobriety, his sordid past, and how some fans will always think of him as Jay the drug dealer.