Actor Jason Lewis has candidly recalled the hardships he endured before landing his breakthrough role in the iconic HBO series Sex and the City, revealing that he went through a 'six-month starvation period' while pursuing a modelling career in Paris. The 55-year-old actor, best known for playing Smith Jerrod — the model boyfriend of Samantha Jones (portrayed by Kim Cattrall) — shot to fame in 2003, but the years leading up to that role were marked by genuine financial desperation.

The Paris Struggle

Lewis made the revelations during a recent episode of actress Kristin Davis's podcast Am I A Charlotte?, offering a rare and unfiltered look at the grinding reality behind the glamour of modelling and acting. He told Davis that at 21, he travelled to the French capital as a 'young punk' with 'no real intention', initially on a three-month ticket funded by a modelling agency. He later tore up the return ticket and chose to stay on.

What followed was far from the glossy world of fashion. 'No, I starved for a while,' Lewis told Davis when she asked whether things went well after he extended his stay. The admission drew laughter, but the underlying reality was stark.

Baguette Heists and Mustard Sandwiches

Lewis described resorting to petty theft and improvisation just to eat. 'I would case a bakery and steal a baguette, and then I would run,' he recalled. 'And then I would go to, like, an outdoor cafe and take a pot of their mustard and dump it on and then I'd have mustard-bread sandwiches for a lot of my meals.'

He also survived on bare essentials when he could afford them. 'I could buy this one cucumber and this piece of cheese,' he said, adding with characteristic humour, 'It was easy to stay skinny, though, I'll tell you what.'

Sleeping on Floors Before the Breakthrough

Beyond food, Lewis also recalled sleeping on floors in Paris until his first modelling booking came through and he began earning money. 'I think my first, like, decent money started coming in about a year and a half later. So there was like a six-month starvation period,' he said. That first booking, he noted, got the ball rolling on what would eventually become a successful acting career.

From Paris Streets to Sex and the City

Lewis's perseverance eventually paid off when he was cast as Smith Jerrod in Sex and the City in 2003, a role that gave him international recognition. The character's arc — a struggling model who rises to fame — carried an irony that Lewis himself now acknowledges with some amusement. His account on the Kristin Davis podcast adds a layer of authenticity to a career that, from the outside, appeared to arrive fully formed.