Carmen Llywelyn, also known as Carmen Lee, is an American actress and photographer.[1][2]
Carmen Llywelyn | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, photographer |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Career
editShe starred in the 1996 film Drawing Flies, a View Askew production directed by Matthew Gissing and Malcolm Ingram, and produced by Kevin Smith.[3][4] She portrayed Kim in the 1997 film Chasing Amy directed by Kevin Smith; co-stars included Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, and Joey Lauren Adams.[5][6] She appeared in the 2000 film Cowboys and Angels alongside actors Radha Mitchell and Mia Kirshner.[7] She was the lead actress in Free (2001), opposite Corin Nemec, also starring Randall Batinkoff and Ione Skye.
Personal life
editIn 1994, Llywelyn met Jason Lee, then a professional skateboarder.[8] In 1995, the couple were married in a ceremony presided over by actor Bodhi Elfman.[8][9][10] In March 2001, the couple lived together in Southern California.[11] Llywelyn and Lee obtained a divorce in 2001.[12][13] Lee stated of their separation, "Our breakup had nothing to do with Hollywood or my career."[14]
Llywelyn entered a long-term relationship, with someone other than Lee, in 2003 and the couple became parents of twins in 2004. As of 2015, the family lived together in Atlanta.[8]
Relationship with the Church of Scientology
editLlywelyn was introduced to the Church of Scientology by her then-husband Jason Lee, who was then a member of the organization.[1] According to Llywelyn, her resistance to becoming more involved with Scientology was a cause of problems in their relationship.[15]
According to her account, after she revealed to her Scientologist talent manager Gay Ribisi (mother of actor Giovanni Ribisi) that she had read A Piece of Blue Sky, a book critical of the Church, she was labeled a suppressive person and shunned (or "disconnected") by her friends within the church. Llywelyn's manager, a member of the Church, also "disconnected" and allegedly convinced United Talent Agency to drop Llywelyn as a client.[16]
Since her departure, Llywelyn has been an outspoken critic of the Church of Scientology. She has expressed distaste for the classist undertones of Scientology.[8]
She has stated the organization has harassed her, pursuant to the fair game policy.[1] Llywelyn reports being subjected to a campaign of surveillance and harassment. Writes Llywelyn: "Scientology has a sophisticated intelligence agency known as the Office of Special Affairs, which is essentially a complex system dedicated to ruining the lives of those it sees as enemies in any way possible. Those who work for the OSA do not follow the law."[16]
Filmography
edit| Year | Film | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Drawing Flies | Cassidy | Matthew Gissing, Malcolm Ingram |
| 1997 | Chasing Amy | Kim | Kevin Smith |
| A Better Place | Augustine | Vincent Pereira | |
| 1999 | The Mod Squad | Alley Prostitute | Scott Silver |
| Never Been Kissed | Rob's Girlfriend | Raja Gosnell | |
| 2000 | Cowboys & Angels | Dana | Gregory C. Haynes |
| 2001 | Free (Film) | Laura | Andrew Avery |
| Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Redhead Beauty | Kevin Smith |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Kiss (shared with Joey Lauren Adams) | Chasing Amy | Nominated[17] |
References
edit- ^ a b c Lu, Anne (April 5, 2010). "Jason Lee's Ex-Wife Claims Scientology Ruined Her Life". All Headline News. www.allheadlinenews.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ^ Heldman, Breanne L. (November 24, 2008). "Earl Star Jason Lee Adds Husband Moniker". E! Online. www.eonline.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ^ Eisner, Ken (November 25, 1996). "Drawing Flies". Variety. Reed Elsevier Inc. p. 76.
- ^ "IndieDVD Releases 'Lost' Kevin Smith Production Drawing Flies; Filmed Between 'Mallrats' and 'Chasing Amy' and Never Finished Until Now". Business Wire. Business Wire, Inc. February 12, 2002.
- ^ Kleemann, Brian (April 18, 1997). "Characters chase sexuality, self-identity in 'Amy'". Sun Publications. Illinois. p. 5.
- ^ Johnson, Malcolm (April 18, 1997). "'Chasing' is simply charming - A young man falls for wrong woman - She's a lesbian". The Hartford Courant. The Hartford Courant Co. p. E3.
- ^ Vice, Jeff (February 9, 2001). "' Cowboys and Angels ' is a pretty sweet ride". The Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Publishing Company. p. W05.
- ^ a b c d Llywelyn, Carmen (June 23, 2015). "Why I Left Scientology". Gawker. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ Bryant, Adam (November 25, 2008). "Jason Lee's Name Is Married Man". TV Guide. www.tvguide.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ^ "Jason Lee Latest Celeb to Reveal Secret Marriage". Fox News Channel. Fox News. November 25, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ^ Westbrook, Bruce (March 14, 2001). "'Almost Famous' star keeps looking for box-office buzz". Houston Chronicle. p. 1.
- ^ "tv today's: Star file Jason Lee". The Western Mail. April 10, 2008. p. 23.
- ^ ""Earl", la bague au doigt !". Allocine (in French). www.allocine.fr. November 26, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ^ Wolf, Jeanne (New York Times News Services) (September 11, 2002). "Skateboarding champion turns actor; He likes to grab plenty of sleep, but Jason Lee has career desires". The Record. Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. p. E4.
- ^ Norville, Deborah (May 13, 2010). "Inside Edition". Global Broadcast Database. iNewsNetwork.
- ^ a b Carmen Llywelyn (June 23, 2015). "Why I Left Scientology". Gawker. Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
- ^ "Awards for Carmen Llywelyn". Internet Movie Database. IMDb.com, Inc. 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
Further reading
edit- Muir, John Kenneth (2002). An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith. Applause Books. pp. 85, 118, 137, 180, 182. ISBN 1-55783-586-1.
External links
edit- Book of Girl, blog of Carmen Llywelyn
- Carmen Llywelyn at AllMovie
- Carmen Llywelyn at IMDb
- Carmen Llywelyn on Twitter
