The actress who starred in the 1997 romantic comedy Chasing Amy and has since left Hollywood is preparing to return to the spotlight. 

Joey Lauren Adams is perhaps best known for playing Alyssa Jones, the object of Ben Affleck’s affection in the film that helped launch his career. 

While Joey, 56, now lives in her home state of Arkansas, she still acts on occasion for various passion projects.

She recently revealed her upcoming role in CatNIP, a fresh movie featuring Chevy Chase and Bruce Dern. The film tells the story of a family’s survival battle against a group of wild cats.

The Dazed and Confused actress gushed about the project on her Instagram last month, posting a Deadline article announcing the film.

Expressing her excitement, she shared on social media, ‘Had a blast fighting off dangerous cats with these two icons! Huge gratitude to @geoffreyarend for his outstanding acting skills and fantastic collaboration, as well as to the entire cast and crew! Special thanks to @keliprice and Nyle Cavazos @smalltownpictures for having me on board.’

The article from Deadline was released in February, announcing the start of filming for the movie during that same month. From Joey’s post, it seems like her part of the filming process has been successfully completed.

April 4 marked the 27th anniversary of Chasing Amy, the third film in director Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse series.

The film is about Affleck’s character falling for Adams, who plays a fellow comic book artist. But his romantic hopes are crushed when he finds out she’s a lesbian.

That film – along with Good Will Hunting – helped launch Ben’s career.

Chasing Amy received numerous accolades and nominations, including two Independent Spirit Award wins and was even partly inspired by Joey.

The actress had been dating Smith but they split shortly after the film debuted.  

‘Kevin wrote Amy about our relationship and all the s*** he gave me,’ she told The Independent last year.

‘Then he gets the glory and becomes such a great person and I’m, like, left in the s***,’ she said.

Joey’s resume includes a slew of projects, including a number of big films that include the cult classic Dazed and Confused.  

She also starred opposite Adam Sandler in the 1999 comedy Big Daddy, playing his girlfriend, and even had Jennifer Aniston as a co-star in the 2006 film The Break-Up. 

Joey’s work with Smith also includes Mallrats, the Jay and Silent Bob reboot, and the animated Clerks: The Lost Scene. 

Her most recent role was in the 2024 film Greedy People and she has five other projects – including CatNIP – in the pipeline. 

It’s not just acting that Joey has done – she has also directed.

In 2006 she released Come Early Morning, a film she wrote herself that was partly inspired by hometown of North Little Rock, Arkansas. 

‘I loved it,’ she said of the movie. ‘I just remember feeling like [behind the camera] was where I was meant to be. But directing is an even harder world to break into than acting – I would love to do more.’ 

Joey then left LA and headed to Mississippi before returning to Arkansas.

Now she is enjoying life at a lake house in Hot Springs, Arkansas with her husband, cinematographer Brian Vilim. 

While she is now miles away from Hollywood, she still appears in front of the camera, but prefers seeking out projects being worked on by friends or newcomers that can benefit from her assistance. 

‘I’m in my fifties, I have more grit and more lines on my face,’ she told The Independent. ‘Now I get to play character roles!’