'I document America's strange beauty': the photography of My Name is Earl's Jason Lee

He played a redemption-seeking redneck on TV, but lately the actor has found solace off-screen, travelling with his camera. He talks about slackers, the Mallrats sequel and breezing into one-horse towns

Jason Lee knew he was in trouble when he stepped on the set. The year was 1992, Sonic Youth were at their peak and he was starring as a doomed skateboarder in their latest video. As a music obsessed, pro skateboarder with acting aspirations, he felt he had a point to prove. To add more pressure, it was for the song 100% - the band's classic ode to a murdered Black Flag roadie - and the video was being co-directed by one of his skateboarding friends (some guy called Spike Jonze).

I was really trying my hardest to focus," says Lee. I was like pretending to be Robert De Niro on the set, really trying to get into it and make it count and make it real and believable."