With the writer's strike continuing through the holidays, we may be down to our last new episodes of My Name is Earl for a while. If you really need a Jason Lee fix, he is starring in the movie version of Alvin and the Chipmunks. The Chipmunks are CGI but he's a flesh and blood actor playing their manager, Dave. Lee reflected on his new movie, the status of Earl and other stuff like Kevin Smith and skateboarding in an interview at the Santa Barbara estate of the Bagdasarians, owners of the Chipmunks license.

---

CraveOnline: You've been doing a lot of kids movies lately.

Jason Lee: Yeah, that's what they say. It's just coincidence. I mean, it's just a coincidence. I mean, it's not "for my son," but it's a bonus that I have a son that's very excited about movies like this, and he's quoting the Chipmunks just from the preview that we've seen a couple times. We went and saw Bee Movie and Fred Claus and all these movies that he wanted to see, and we keep seeing the preview, and now he's quoting the Chipmunks. You know, in The Incredibles, he knows it's my voice, and you know, Underdog, but seeing me on the screen with the Chipmunks, I think that's just a step above.

CraveOnline: Was there any pressure to personify Dave?

Jason Lee: No, no pressure. I mean, he had me say "Alvin" a certain way, but no, I was just approaching it the way I would any other character, where is Dave starting and where does he get to, and how does it all work out in the middle? They're chipmunks, yes, but he treats them like kids, and I just sort of approached it like that, tried to keep him likeable.

CraveOnline: Do you feel your own pressure of wanting to impress your kid?

Jason Lee: I think he's impressed enough. Just seeing me up there with the Chipmunks, I think he thinks dad's pretty cool.

CraveOnline: How did this work out with your schedule with My Name is Earl?

Jason Lee: I filmed this like three weeks after I wrapped season two of Earl, so it worked out perfectly. I was able to shave and just kind of was done with that.

CraveOnline: Are you guys still working right now with the strike?

Jason Lee: No. We had two pre-strike episodes written that we filmed, that we wrapped a week ago, a week and a half. And now we're all just kind of on stand-by.

CraveOnline: Where do those last stories leave Earl?

Jason Lee: Well, it's good. I mean, if there's no more season, if the strike goes on until April or whatever, it ends at a good place, fortunately. Luckily.

CraveOnline: Are you allowed to talk about the plots?

Jason Lee: Not really. But it's not an "oh crap, what are we going to do now?" It resolves. Something gets resolved, at least. So if the season in fact ends then, it's not going to be a bad thing.

CraveOnline: Are you worried about how long the strike will last?

Jason Lee: Yeah. I mean, I can do movies, maybe, that have already been written, but I can't do anything for months at a time. It would have to be a week here, a week there because they could call us back to Earl any time.

CraveOnline: What about an actors' strike that might follow?

Jason Lee: Yeah, there's that. And I can't shave anymore. And I just bought a house, so I've got to try to find some work.

CraveOnline: How did you like the way Earl's told stories around the jail time?

Jason Lee: Yeah, I mean, the first thought was maybe we'll just see Earl already out of prison going into season three. Boring. What are we going to do with the first half of the season? If we keep him in prison, there's just too much that we get to do. What does he do with his list, which he's turned in, and how does he adapt, and what is his brother going to do living on the outside?

CraveOnline: Do you plan to do any more family films or voices?

Jason Lee: I'm always up for anything. Whatever comes, I'll do it.

CraveOnline: Is it more than a coincidence that The Chipmunk Song is in Almost Famous?

Jason Lee: I think it's great. I mean, it just goes to show how kind of iconic and a part of all of our lives it is. It's so great that the opening title sequence of Almost Famous with the song in it, I mean everybody knows it.

CraveOnline: Was it difficult having your main co-stars computer generated?

Jason Lee: Yeah. I mean, at first it was really tedious and frustrating because I didn't have anything to work with. I had stuffed animals if the Chipmunks were off-camera, or tape marks. It all depended on the camera angle, really. I had tape marks but literally most of the time, I had nothing, and I'd have to place my eye line always in three different places, always about this high above where they would be standing or sitting. It was kind of tough. But no complaints. I had a great time.

CraveOnline: What was the hardest scene with the Chipmunks?

Jason Lee: Oh, like in the kitchen, going through the cupboards. Any time I would have to move and they were moving, I'm following them. Any of the following or moving stuff was the hardest. But of course, if they were just standing there, that was easy. I'd get a tape mark with A and a T and an S on it. And at first I had a tendency to look at the tape. I had to remember to look up if they were standing here like this.

CraveOnline: How do you feel about seeing the final product?

Jason Lee: It looked totally real. I was blown away. I was a little bit surprised, and just very pleased. I mean, it really looked like they were there.

CraveOnline: If this movie is a hit, how many more are you willing to do? Did you already sign on for more?

Jason Lee: No, I didn't. I don't know if I signed. I don't think so. I would do another one though.

CraveOnline: Are you doing another movie playing a singer or a musician?

Jason Lee: Oh, a friend of mine wrote this fantastic late '70s/early '80s rock comedy, and we're just still trying to get it made. It's over at Warner Bros, but we haven't locked down a director yet. Sometimes these things take a long time, and now with the strike, so hopefully get around to it. It's kind of an Almost Famous, but more of a kind of direct comedy.

CraveOnline: Is it a Walk Hard type of parody?

Jason Lee: No, it's not a parody. It's between Walk Hard and Almost Famous. It's more like in the middle of those two.

CraveOnline: Any plans to work with Kevin Smith again, maybe he doing a cameo on your show or you being in one of his movies?

Jason Lee: Yeah, we've talked about him directing an episode and coming on and doing a role, and he's always into it, but it's just never really happened. Now I guess he's in Philly making that movie about the couple that make a porn movie?

CraveOnline: Yeah. Zack and Miri...

Jason Lee: Yeah. Yeah, I don't talk to Kevin as much as I should. And the bastard hardly calls me, so we'll see. I haven't heard anything about me being in this movie at all. Maybe a cameo, nothing. The guy hasn't e-mailed me.

CraveOnline: Do you get a chance to do any skateboarding at all?

Jason Lee: I mess around a bit. I mean, within boundaries for injury, you know, not wanting to get injured. My son is doing it now. He's starting to skateboard a little bit.

CraveOnline: And he's four?

Jason Lee: Yeah. I started when I was five. So he has an edge over me.

CraveOnline: Do you make sure he's got the helmet and everything?

Jason Lee: Yeah, he wears a helmet. In Griffith Park in LA, there's this long ditch, this sort of embankment that goes all the way down. And we go up there, and he'll stand in the middle, and I'll hold onto his hands, and we go all the way down this ditch all the way down the hill. And he's like this. Oh, it's so fun. It's like, how many kids can jump on a skateboard with their dad and cruise down this hill? So I don't take things like that for granted. He loves it.

CraveOnline: How many times did you have to scream "Alvin" in the rehearsals for this movie?

Jason Lee: Not too many. I mean, not as much as people would think. Again, I had Ross, Jr. there coaching me on it. "No, no, you need to draw it out. Make it louder and more intense. And do that one shorter." And he directed me. He'd pop in. And that's really the only time he'd ever say anything because he wanted the yell to be authentic.

CraveOnline: Did you have the Chipmunks Christmas album growing up?

Jason Lee: I don't know if I had the album. I could have but I knew the song all too well, like most. And Chipmunk Punk, which was fantastic. My Sharona, right? And then they did a Blondie song. Which Blondie song did they do? I guess they're doing pretty well. "Oh, we'll just have the press junket at our mansion in Santa Barbara overlooking the ocean. Not a problem."

CraveOnline: Were you kind of surprised that this is what Chipmunk money buys you?

Jason Lee: Oh, man. I guess they've sold like 45 million records. I mean, that's like Beatles territory, isn't it?

CraveOnline: If rodents were hanging around outside your door, would you be pretty
merciful and take them in?

Jason Lee: Oh, if they could sing and dance, I'd take them in and start recording records immediately.

CraveOnline: Your show is a success. Why did you buy a small house in Silver Lake?

Jason Lee: Well, I occupy myself, I'm very busy doing things, and that's just sort of not ever been much of an interest. I like to do other things with my time and money than buy fancy things and spend too much money on real estate.

CraveOnline: You've got a kid to send to college.

Jason Lee: Yeah. And when I'm not acting, I'm photographing and traveling. So
I buy film and cameras.

CraveOnline: Have you thought about compiling your photography into a book?

Jason Lee: Yeah, I've got many plans of that and there's always different things that I'm working on at any given time. In my off time, weekends, days that I don't work, a few series that I'm working on simultaneously. So it keeps me occupied. It's my passion.

CraveOnline: What are your subjects?

Jason Lee: Portraits, people. I shoot for Anthem Magazine pretty well exclusively. Actors, artists, musicians. It's not really commercial stuff. It's more sort of the magazine gives me sort of free reign to take a band that I really like and photograph them and do a piece on them, which is really cool. So it's that kind of relationship. And then I work on a lot of personal stuff. Yeah, but it's the one thing that I do when I'm not acting.