FEATURES
Sam Jones III never had a doubt he would be a success as an actor in Hollywood. "After spending the summer with a friend in Los Angeles, I decided I wanted to stay and pursue a career in acting," said Jones, a young Superman's best friend on The WB's "Smallville." "I was very determined and was confident enough that I knew I wouldn't fail," he said.The 20-year-old only had experience in local commercials, but braved the move from Boston to Los Angeles, where he landed TV roles in "Judging Amy" (where "Smallville" co-star and Okemos High School graduate Tom Welling made his big debut), "NYPD Blue," "C.S.I." and "The Nightmare Room." Jones was also able to gain recognition in the films "Snipes" and "ZigZag."But he's most known as Pete Ross, Clark Kent's best friend on The WB's hit.The show, based on the DC Comics characters, is the coming-of-age story of Clark (Welling). The show gives viewers insight to Clark coming to terms with his powers - long before he moves to Metropolis, works at The Daily Planet and wears blue tights - and maintaining a friendship with a young Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), who hasn't yet become the evil villain we know from comic books and cartoons.It's sort of a "Superman" meets "Dawson's Creek" concept."The show gives the younger generation a chance to become familiar with Superman through his teenage years," Jones said.The second-season premiere of "Smallville" brought in 8.9 million viewers to The WB.
