Growing Up in O.C.: How Skateboarding Made the ‘Burbs Tolerable for Jason Lee

JASON LEE
b. 1970, raised in Huntington Beach
Star of “My Name Is Earl,” former pro skateboarder

Illustration by Charlie Powell

Orange County was kind of like what you see in the movies. The ’burbs, you know what I mean?

What saves a place like Orange County is the skateboarding, surfing, and punk rock culture, which was a choice for some people who didn’t want to play football and go the normal route. I was attracted to that scene pretty early on. I’d go back and forth between skateboarding and riding a BMX bike. I tried surfing, but I’m petrified of sharks, so I gave that up.

—from “Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show,” July 2009