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Photo Credit: Steve Kay

THE STAR SCOOP:
A lot of people will recognize you from Smallville. What role do you think the show played in your career with regard to where you’re at noSw?

SAM JONES III:
As far as where I’m at now, I think it’s all positive.Smallville was my first series regular that I ever did. It was great to be part of a show that was super successful. When we did the pilot, we were just some young actors coming in to film a show. We never knew it would be so big. The pilot blew up. The first time it aired, I think it broke records and we broke records again the second year. Those three years are some of the most memorable moments of my life. Smallville was like high school for me. It was a really good learning experience going into my career and I have a new series regular that I’m about to start soon. I think that Smallville really prepared me for the new show I’m going to be doing starting in June.

THE STAR SCOOP:
The show is Blue Mountain State. How did you get involved?

SAM JONES III:
I was recurring on ER for the last few years. It was fun but I was talking with my management and they were asking me what I wanted to do next and I was saying I wanted to be a series regular on a show. Something different, something unique and original. I got the script of Blue Mountain State and I thought it was just crazy. It was a script like I’ve never read before. I came in for the part, and they liked me, and I liked the project. I shot the pilot and that pilot was one of the best work experiences I’ve ever had in my life. It was so fun. We bonded right away. I hope people like it.

THE STAR SCOOP:
What can you tell us about Blue Mountain State at this time?

SAM JONES III:
It’s a football comedy about a school called Blue Mountain State. At this school, there’s a lot of partying, hazing, football, and girls. My character, Craig, he’s a top recruit running back in the nation and basically it’s about these three characters and one of them wants to be the mascot and the other one is a quarterback, but he’s a second string quarterback. he fully has the potential to be the starting quarterback, but he doesn’t want to. He just wants to get on the team, enjoy college life, and have a regular life. My character comes to school with his girlfriend and everyone thinks he’s an idiot for that because he can have any girl in the school. He has his life all mapped out.

THE STAR SCOOP:
It’s for Spike TV. Will that affect the audience? Who will it appeal to?

SAM JONES III:
I think it will appeal to everyone. The weirdest thing is, it’s so beautifully shot that it just seems like such reality. I think it’s a show that girlfriends and boyfriends could sit there and laugh together. I think kids that are in high school are going to dream this is what their college experience is like. Guys that are in college are going to laugh. The writers are getting stories straight from real football players. None of the stuff is really fabricated or stretched too far. Sometimes on television people don’t show the reality. The comedy in reality is almost more funny than making it up. Kids in college are going to love this show, and if you have ever been to college you’re going to love this show. If you haven’t been to college, you’re going to watch this show, and think, man, is that what I missed out on? It pushes the bar and this is going to be the next level of comedy.

THE STAR SCOOP:
When will it premiere?

SAM JONES III:
We start filming June 1st, and the show is going to premiere sometime in August. It will be college football season at that time, too.

THE STAR SCOOP:
In the meantime, where can see you before then?

SAM JONES III:
I have on the Hallmark Channel, May 30th, a movie that’s gonna come on, starring myself and Treat Williams, called Safe Harbor.

There’s a program that really exists called Safe Harbor. This is a story of how it all began and I play a character of a troubled teen who stole his grandmother’s car and he’s abused. The judge is friends with these people at the harbor and instead of sentencing the kid to jail, he decides to let the guy who runs the harbor teach him a few lessons. Also, I’m going to start getting more proactive with the Internet. I’m going to start to get on YouTube and just do a lot of blogs and stuff like that. People will be able to keep up with me that way as well.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Who have you worked with in the past who has taught you something that’s been the most useful to you?

SAM JONES III:
I think the person I learned the best sense of professionalism from is Angela Bassett on ER. Sometimes on a television series, we can get lazy and in between takes we can fool around. She never fools around. She’s always on time. She’s always professional, and she always stays pretty close to her character. She’s very serious about her work, her acting, and I think it shows in her work. Working with her really showed me just to take a little bit of time and be the best you can at your craft. Samuel Jackson starting a production company. I worked with him [on a movie]. I’m starting to produce now, and I’m starting to write now. I feel like I’m wiser and smarter than ever. I feel like I’m ready to give the world what they want and keep them in tune with what I’m going to be doing.