At the age of 27, Sam Jones III has taken the entertainment world by storm. He’s starred in some of the biggest US TV dramas such as Smallville, ER and Army Wives, runs his own record label Miracle Music, and is busy producing scripts for new shows. To top it all he plays good guy Craig Shilo on the MTV comedy Blue Mountain State, which follows the sexcapades of a college football team. We caught up with Sam during a rare relaxed moment and he filled us in on dating a Playboy bunny, living the college dream and how you can turn your life around in spite of adversity.
Hey Sam, how are you?
I’m cool!
Loving the LA lifestyle?
Oh yeah, I’m lying out by the pool…you’re in London right? Is it cold and raining there?
Yep, its freezing today – I’m jealous of you!
You should come out and visit me sometime!
I’ll think about that! So your new show, Blue Mountain State – it’s crazy!
Yeah, it’s a real crazy show but it’s fun – it’s college life. There are hot girls, partying and football – everything a young guy could dream of! I love the show because I’ve done a lot of drama and doing this type of comedy you can be wild and loose. For a young male actor you couldn’t ask for a better role!
I’ve watched the show and your character is pretty cool. How would you describe him?
He’s a star player on the team but instead of being the man and getting all the girls on campus, he’s brought his devious, cheating girlfriend with him. While the other guys are partying he is trying to walk the straight and narrow.
I noticed all the other guys are getting a lot of action but Craig’s girlfriend is holding out on the goodies…
[Laughs] That’s true but he’s gonna wise up and have fun eventually!
Could you cope with that situation in real life – where a girl holds out on you?
[Laughs] No, I don’t like girls who play games.
What kind of girl do you like?
Well right now I’m dating Karissa Shannon [a Playboy model].
Oh she’s very foxy! Is it love?
Hmmm, yeah I would say so. She’s beautiful and I love her personality.
That’s so sweet – you sound all loved up! Wedding bells?
We’re just having a lot of fun right now – it’s only been four months!
We get to see your perfect abs on the show! Can you give our readers any advice on getting a serious six-pack?
Thanks for the compliment. I would say train daily – boxing and cardio is great. Also try and eat six small balanced meals each day.
Were you a jock in high school like your character?
Nah… I never went to college – after high school I went straight to LA to work as an actor. Blue Mountain State is my college experience!
You played Clark Kent’s best friend in Smallville. Was it difficult when your character was written out of the show?
The biggest thing was missing the rest of the cast because they were a great bunch of people. I was really close to Tom Welling who plays Clark Kent but we still get in touch. I was just really eager to get out there and do other work. When you face new or difficult situations you should always make the best of them.
I hear a rumour that you are moving into the music business…
Music is a passion of mine and I started a record label this year called Miracle Music with a few friends. We’ve signed this artist called Joelle, an 18-year-old RnB singer from Australia. She’s the most incredible vocalist I’ve heard. I love the fact that she’s white but when people hear her they think it’s a beautiful, soulful black woman’s voice. We’re working on her album right now and she’s got a lot of industry buzz so you guys will hear from her real soon! Besides music I also mentor kids.
Amazing – tell us more!
I work with kids aged eight to 19 who want to be pro football players every Saturday. We get great pro players coming out to give them talks, they do drills, and we check on their grades, talk about life and teach them how important discipline is in making your dreams come true. I love reaching out to kids from the inner city because I made it out. Don’t get it twisted though – we’re real with ’em.
You’re doing a great job with giving back to young people. Do you ever warn them about drugs? Can you talk about your experiences with drugs?
I would say to anyone who gets caught up in that type situation to just focus on positive things; believe that life is for doing good and putting something back. It’s important to put good into life in order to get good out of it. Focus on a good work ethic – whatever it is you want to be or do… actor, nurse, vet – be the best you can be because that’s your craft. I’m also writing scripts now. I’ve been developing some stuff with Jada [Pinkett]. It’s important to put your energies into something useful!
Interview by Mary Bello
