My Name Is Earl

Read our interview with Jason Lee, who plays Earl Hickey.

Are you enjoying this season as much as the first?
More. But I'm a bit tired. And looking forward to a break... and shaving the moustache! The last scene, once they call it a wrap – right to the hair and makeup trailer! Zip! Gone!

Once you shave it off, do people still recognise you on the street?
(Smiling) Not as much...

And whose idea was it to grow the moustache in the first place?
Mine (Laughs). Yeah... I've kicked myself in the butt over that one a few times!

How has it helped having a skateboarding background playing Earl?
I think it's always been good to have that background. It grounds me in ways that are very different than most actors. It's a very real world, skateboarding. That culture. And no matter what I'm doing, I'm rooted in that. I'm still involved. My friends are skaters. And there's such a distinct separation between that and this Hollywood world.

Do you still skate?
In the summer, I do. But when I'm working on the show, I can't.

Are you surprised by the show's success?
At first, I didn't know how long it would last. We were all a bit nervous to see what would happen. Would it be liked by the fans only? Or would it be like Arrested Development and be liked by the critics but not have enough fans? We got a little bit of both, so we were pretty happy about that.

Most characters have to look very polished on screen, but Earl...
Fantastic! I love it! Everything about it. I get to wear, whatever I want. No suit. No briefcase. I don't have to shave everyday. Fantastic!

What was it like doing the DVD commentaries?
It was great to look back. Our mom's did one for the first season, which was great. Just in general, I feel like I'm a part of something that's more than just a good TV show. There's a kind of historicalness to it. Something that hasn't been done. And it's fun. There's nothing about it that doesn't involve the audience. There's nothing about it that feels harmful or violent. It's just a fun show that's got some heart and some silliness to it. My son can watch it... I mean, at times it gets a little... Well, it's just a fun show.

What's the most difficult thing about playing Earl?
Getting up every morning at five-thirty, and then working for thirteen hours... You know, for some reason I run into Kiefer Sutherland a lot. We're not friends. But I'll see him at the market or at The Golden Globes. We always somehow run into each other. He told me that he only has one month off a year. Which is crazy. We have five. I mean, he's in every scene. He’s got six weeks off every year!

What do you do with your time off?
Family. Travel. Photography. Skateboard. Ride my bikes. Sleep.

If Earl were to watch a DVD on Saturday Night, what would it be?
Burt Reynolds. Smokey and the Bandit.

Burt Reynolds has starred in a couple of episodes hasn't he?
Yeah. He's sweet. Interesting. You can see that he's kicked some ass and broken some bones over the years!

Finally, the rest of the cast say you're the one who keeps everybody laughing during the 13 hour days, how do you do it?
Fortunately, it's just naturally that way. But I would have no choice. Because as soon as I decide to be in a bad mood and complain about not having had enough sleep the night before, the whole energy of the shoot dies. I like having that responsibility. Because when I walk onto that set – I'm friends with everybody. I ride bikes with the camera guys. Some of them are photographers like me. We shoot photos together. We're all just friends. I've never been a celebrity, either. I've never been a star or any of that shit. I'm just a regular guy who rides a skateboard and somehow, accidentally, became an actor!