Film Star and Comedian Jamie Kennedy is no stranger to struggle. Hear his hilarious audition story with famed director Baz Luhrmann, his failures and success and the second chance that came dressed as a German Surgeon.
When Kennedy first arrived in Los Angeles, he became a professional Hollywood extra. During his first night in L.A., he was reading a Joan Rivers autobiography in a diner when the waiter explained to him that he had been in a dozen movies as an extra. Kennedy asked, "If you've been in so many movies, why are you a waiter?" The waiter responded, "I have to keep my day job.”
After a few years of struggling, Kennedy was unable to find an agent and worked as a host at Red Lobster. He auditioned for over 80 commercials and could not book one. He then took a job as a telemarketer, and learned that he had a talent in selling things. Kennedy then thought that if he could sell anything, "why not sell myself?", becoming his own agent. Kennedy created a false persona, screen agent "Marty Power,” to attract the attention of real agents and managers over the phone, who would later book his performances. He came to prominence in the late 1990s for playing Randy Meeks in the Scream film series. His lead role as Tim Avery in Son of the Maskearned him a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor. Kennedy formed a production company called Wannabe Producers, alongside Josh Etting, through which he has produced the shows The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, Blowin' Up, The Starlet, and Living with Fran. Kennedy wrote an autobiography titled, Wannabe: A Hollywood Experiment. The book chronicles his life in Hollywood as he attempts to become a star. It gives background on his life and family, and quickly dives into his adventures.
A performer of stand-up comedy, he is also known for his sketch performances on his television reality show, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, which became the WB Network's highest-ranking new show in 2002, but which was cancelled in April 2004 due to falling viewership. In 2006, Jizzy Entertainment released Unwashed: The Stand-Up Special. In 2008, Kennedy released the documentary Heckler, about the plight of stand-up comics versus their often-aggressive audiences. In 2007, he appeared in Criminal Minds as a cannibal satanist serial killer. Jamie is still a working actor in Los Angeles, having gone on to host and play in many television shows and movies.