Jamie Kennedy enjoys eclectic career
Jamie Kennedy pronounces the word “eclectic” like he’s embracing every syllable.
“I like eclectic,” the comedian-actor-producer said in a phone interview from California.
“My agent says I’m an ‘entertainer.’ But I want to be an artist,” he said. “I don’t want to get too serious, but I want to show people my many sides. Comedy is my wheelhouse, but I like the acting. I want to show some dramatic sides, too.”
And Kennedy is getting to do that this fall, with a new role on the CBS drama “Ghost Whisperer.”
“They needed some comic relief,” he said. “It’s a nice script and it’s (‘Ghost Whisperer’ star) Jennifer Love Hewitt. I’m very excited.”
Shooting for the TV series has cut into his standup comedy time, including dates he had for Friday and Saturday at Penguin’s Comedy Club in Davenport. He will keep his Saturday date, for two performances, and said he’s worked out a schedule of comedy touring every other weekend.
Besides performing himself, Kennedy is also featured in a documentary he’s produced called “Hecklers,” which will be released on DVD next month. Kennedy looks at what makes people want to talk back to comedians.
“Hecklers want to help you, and the show, and be a part of the show,” he said. “They don’t understand why you don’t want them talking.”
The idea for the documentary “snowballed” into interviewing critics about why they do what they do, he said.
Knowing more about hecklers has helped his act, Kennedy said.
“I’ve grown a lot,” he said. “Hecklers don’t bother me now, but they did at the beginning of my career.”
Kennedy is a veteran of all three “Scream” movies, as well as starring in “Kickin’ It Old School” and “Malibu’s Most Wanted.” From 2002 to ’04, he was the star and producer of “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment,” a hidden-camera show on the former WB network.
The 38-year-old Pennsylvania native said he enjoys the — here’s that word again — eclectic nature of his career.
“That’s how you change,” he said. “People don’t see you doing certain things, but as long as you have longevity, you might as well shake it up.”
David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
Who: Jamie Kennedy
When: 7:30 and 10 p.m. Saturday
Where: Penguin’s Comedy Club, Freight House, 421 W. River Drive, Davenport
How much: $22 in advance, $25 day of show
Information: (563) 324-5233 or QCFreightHouse.com on the Web
Also on the Web: JamieKennedyWorld.com