Actor-comedian Jamie Kennedy is on tour looking to make others laugh. Kennedy played four shows Friday and Saturday at the Arlington Draft House. He is now living the dream that once felt completely out of his reach.
Kennedy was 19 years old when he first started trying out some comedy routines. "I was living in Los Angeles and I saw a sign for an open mic talent competition," Kennedy said in an interview with The Eagle. "So I signed up and came in second. I thought 'maybe I can do something here.' While it took some time for mainstream Hollywood to recognize him, Kennedy spent his days doing stand-up at "restaurants, bars, whatever I could find."
Years of trying to make it big in the entertainment industry have provided Kennedy with plenty of material for his stand-up shows. Audiences can expect to hear stories about his life and the trips he has taken. A favorite story Kennedy enjoys sharing is his encounter with a group of girls after one of his shows. While asking him for a photo, one of the girls mistakenly called him Jamie Foxx.
Kennedy shows a real enthusiasm for his shows and the audience.
"I really love playing the crowd and working it out," he said. This even includes the hecklers who attend his shows. Turning a negative into a positive, these hecklers soon became the inspiration behind Kennedy's 2007 documentary "Heckler." Now, he admits they show up "once in awhile, but it's not so bad. There are some usually drunk, but they're fun."
When not touring the country as a stand-up comedian, Kennedy keeps busy with various acting roles. He can currently be seen on CBS's "Ghost Whisperer" and in the upcoming independent feature "Finding Bliss" in which he plays what he described as "a porn star with a heart of gold."
After playing at the Draft House, Kennedy will keep his spring schedule pretty packed. He will be playing shows in Utah and Arizona in May, and continuing on to a four-day, four-show stop in San Francisco at the end of June.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
