{"id":471665,"date":"2026-05-28T17:50:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/471665\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T17:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:50:08","slug":"jason-lewis-explains-instagram-post-hes-writing-a-fantasy-epic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/471665\/","title":{"rendered":"Jason Lewis Explains Instagram Post: He\u2019s Writing a Fantasy Epic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFor years, Jason Lewis<\/a> existed in the culture less as a person than as an idea. <\/p>\n

\n\tTall, blond, improbably symmetrical, he arrived at the tail end of Sex and the City<\/a> as Smith Jerrod, the younger man who adored Samantha Jones with such patient, uncomplicated devotion that he almost seemed engineered in a laboratory to stabilize the psychic damage of Manhattan dating culture. He was less a boyfriend than a fantasy correction: Women wanted him, men wanted his abs, HBO wanted another season.<\/p>\n

\n\tBefore Sex and the City, Lewis belonged to the last great era of male supermodels, when fashion still manufactured masculine mystique at industrial scale. He worked constantly, appearing in campaigns and magazines at a moment when male beauty was becoming its own form of celebrity currency. By the time he arrived on HBO as Smith, he already carried the strange unreality of someone audiences had spent years looking at before they ever heard him speak.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd then, more or less, he disappeared.<\/p>\n

\n\tNot entirely, of course. There were roles, appearances, the occasional resurfacing. But Lewis never seemed particularly interested in remaining trapped inside the machinery of celebrity maintenance. He was not asked back to appear in And Just Like That\u2026 and seemed perfectly happy with that turn of events. (\u201cAs much as I appreciate the flattery, the conversation is about the girls,\u201d he said at the time.) <\/p>\n

\n\tThree years ago, he moved from California to Costa Rica, where he now spends his days surfing, learning Spanish and waking up at 4 a.m. to work on a sprawling fantasy epic book series that has quietly consumed years of his life.<\/p>\n

\n\tNot one novel. Nine.<\/p>\n

\n\tOr rather, three interconnected trilogies set across different eras in the same universe, all exploring themes of power, agency, tyranny and redemption. The first book he plans to release is technically book seven.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI chose to start at the end,\u201d Lewis, 54, says matter-of-factly over Zoom from Costa Rica, sounding less like a celebrity with a side project than a man who has spent an alarming amount of time alone with his own cosmology.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe scale of the thing is almost absurdly ambitious, which is partly what makes it compelling. Lewis describes the series as \u201cepic fantasy,\u201d closer to Lord of the Rings than science fiction, though with a \u201chard magic\u201d system rooted in physics rather than traditional spellcasting. He casually references quantum theory, multiverse concepts and Nobel-winning physicist Richard Feynman while explaining the underlying logic of his world-building, though he insists readers won\u2019t need a background in theoretical physics to follow along.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s not a lecture on physics,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe deeper you get into conversation with him, the deeper you get into what drove him to write them in the first place. Lewis talks often about external validation, belonging and self-worth, ideas that inevitably take on added resonance coming from a man whose face once functioned as a global commodity. <\/p>\n

\n\tWhen I bring up a separate story I\u2019m working on involving former male model Hoyt Richards and the cult that consumed his life during the height of his fashion career, Lewis immediately gravitates toward the psychological dimensions of the story.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think inherently as human beings, sociologically and biologically, we all have a desire to belong and matter,\u201d he says. \u201cThat can make people very vulnerable.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAnd it\u2019s very much playing on those external validation centers and worth from outside yourself,\u201d he adds. It is hard not to hear some autobiography in that answer.<\/p>\n

\n\tLewis is careful throughout the conversation not to overstate what he\u2019s doing. There\u2019s no self-coronation as the next Tolkien, no crypto pitchman energy, no insistence that Hollywood simply failed to appreciate his genius. If anything, he seems slightly wary of talking publicly at all. He only recently returned to Instagram<\/a> after encouragement from his representation and admits he struggled with how to re-enter public life without falling into what he calls \u201cperformative posting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI very much like to try and create a community,\u201d he says, \u201cand not just be in the broadcast of, \u2018Hey, check me out. Aren\u2019t I awesome?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe fantasy series, meanwhile, continues to expand. Lewis says he writes every day, usually in two-hour bursts, aiming for between 1,000 and 2,000 words daily. He is currently on the fourth draft of book seven, which will serve as the entry point into the larger saga. The structure itself mirrors the themes he keeps returning to in conversation: idealism, corruption and the long road back from both.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe first one\u2019s an idealistic tale,\u201d he explains. \u201cThe second one is when good intentions go terrible. You become the monster so the monster can\u2019t hurt you. And the last one is a redemption story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt is, in other words, not difficult to imagine why this particular project might appeal to someone who has already lived through one kind of mythology and now appears determined to build another.<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, Lewis discusses his writing routine, his fascination with physics, why he left Los Angeles and the strange challenge of learning how to speak publicly again after years largely outside the spotlight.<\/p>\n

\n\tHi Jason. I caught your cryptic Instagram post from Costa Rica<\/a>. What exactly is going on?<\/p>\n

\n\tSo I was in a space where I\u2019ve been working on a fantasy book series. Three trilogies.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd when you say fantasy, are we talking Lord of the Rings fantasy or sci-fi?<\/p>\n

\n\tCloser to Lord of the Rings. It\u2019s epic fantasy. It\u2019s my own magic system based more in physics than the soft magic of casting spells and stuff like that.<\/p>\n

\n\tWow. Do you actually have a background in physics?<\/p>\n

\n\tNo. I\u2019ve just always been curious \u2014 I think from the first time the idea of atoms was introduced to me as a kid. I\u2019ve paid attention to it over the years. I like looking in on what quantum theory is doing and [Richard] Feynman had a really interesting theory that all of reality is just a single electron moving through spacetime at a bunch of different convergences. That\u2019s something I kind of incorporated into the books<\/a>. Or it\u2019s kind of like string theory, where energy, in its ordering, becomes matter.<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m going to be honest, this stuff goes over my head a little.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s not necessary for the reading. It\u2019s just that when you\u2019re creating fantasy or even science fiction, there\u2019s a fine line between hard science or hard magic and soft magic. For me, I wanted to understand the hard magic of it, but it\u2019s not a lecture on physics. It\u2019s magic.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo you moved to Costa Rica basically to isolate yourself and write this thing?<\/p>\n

\n\tYes. I\u2019d been working on it for quite a while and I found myself at a point where I knew it was large when I started, but it just kept expanding and growing into this bigger and bigger world as I plotted it and figured it out. I literally sat down with pen and paper and did kind of a \u201cwhat do I need, what do I want\u201d design-of-life list.<\/p>\n

\n\tCertainly at the top of the list was the space to do this because this is me on a journey of discovery as much as anything. I\u2019ve never written novels before this, so I don\u2019t have a bunch of feathers in my cap to lean on. I wanted a healthy lifestyle and access to good food. I surf, and being right next to a beach is very easy motivation for me to stay healthy. Sometimes you don\u2019t want to go to the gym, but I always like to go play in the water. And I also wanted to learn Spanish.<\/p>\n

\n\tDo you have a strict writing schedule?<\/p>\n

\n\tI pretty much write every single day. Demands of life depending, sometimes you can\u2019t get to it because of travel or something, but I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve taken a day off for two weeks. I can only hold focus for maybe two hours at a time before I start drifting. I\u2019ve become pretty cognizant of staying in a valuable head space. Sometimes you just need to step away because you\u2019re just drifting on the page.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat does your daily routine look like?<\/p>\n

\n\tI usually get up around four o\u2019clock in the morning. I do my thing and walk the beach or run the beach if the surf isn\u2019t good yet and then have my coffee and settle in and get to the desk and have a session and then have breakfast and then go back to the desk. Depending on what I\u2019m doing revision-wise, sometimes I can get a little bit more words, but I try and get anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 words on the page a day.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s serious work. So where are you in the process now?<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019ve outlined three trilogies. They\u2019re each set in the same world in different eras. It\u2019s a triptych. There are arguments each one in terms of the same themes of power and agency and wielding that. But I chose to start at the end. I\u2019m on book seven. I\u2019m on the fourth draft of it. Well, 3.5. The first draft is really just a 150-page summary.<\/p>\n

\n\tWait, so this is the seventh book in a nine-book series and it\u2019s the first one you\u2019re writing?<\/p>\n

\n\tYes.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd you\u2019re actually going to release book seven first?<\/p>\n

\n\tYes. The idea is to start with the release of seven.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s very Star Wars.<\/p>\n

\n\tTruth be told, I think it started because of being a fan of Star Wars and other stuff where I thought, \u201cOh yeah, let\u2019s just do this in reverse.\u201d But as I developed the themes and the presentation and the story and how things get there, there are really three different arguments happening in the same space. The first trilogy is an idealistic tale. The middle one is when good intentions go terrible, when you become the monster so the monster can\u2019t hurt you. And the last one is more of a redemption story. A more realistic worldview of doing our best with what\u2019s handed to us.<\/p>\n

\n\tIs there anything specific you can tell people about the actual world or characters?<\/p>\n

\n\tI hate giving anything away. I\u2019ve worked so hard at crafting this and continuing to work so hard at crafting this. Even this, I was hesitant to do. But I understand that if I\u2019m going to do this, I have to do it in collaboration with an audience.<\/p>\n

\n\tIs that what inspired the Instagram post?<\/p>\n

\n\tExactly. I know that if I\u2019m going to do this, I\u2019m going to have to do it in collaboration with an audience. The representation I\u2019ve had has been talking to me about rejoining that conversation for a while. I put a lot of thought into how I wanted to do that. I know it\u2019s a broadcast medium, but as much as possible I very much like to try and create a community and not just be in the broadcast of, \u201cHey, check me out. Aren\u2019t I awesome?\u201d I want to try not to get lost in the idea of performative posting.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019re doing all this independently right now? No publisher attached?<\/p>\n

\n\tNo publisher. I\u2019ll take everything a step at a time.<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m actually working on another story right now about Hoyt Richards and the cult he got pulled into during his modeling years. Hearing you talk about themes of power and validation made me think about that whole world.<\/p>\n

\n\tI know who Hoyt is and definitely remember him from passing. I don\u2019t think we ever really sat down.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a wild story. This guy basically befriended him at 16 and all through his supermodel career he was coming home and sleeping on a mat in this guy\u2019s apartment while getting psychologically consumed by this cult.<\/p>\n

\n\tOh, shit.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s fascinating because it happened right in the center of all that glamour and Studio 54 mythology and yet nobody really saw it happening. It made me wonder whether you think modeling is a destructive industry.<\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t think it\u2019s right to say it\u2019s a destructive industry. I think inherently as human beings, sociologically and biologically, we all have a desire to belong and matter. And that contextually can make people very vulnerable to the predations of very talented people.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd I think even when you look at the people who perpetrate abuses like that, you\u2019re often looking at the same thing that came from their need to matter and self-importance. Tyranny isn\u2019t born. It comes from a great deficit.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo is it a destructive industry? I don\u2019t think it\u2019s inherently destructive. But it certainly attracts a lot of people who are seeking external validation and worth from outside themselves.<\/p>\n

\n\tIs that connected to what you\u2019re writing about now?<\/p>\n

\n\tAbsolutely. Those are the themes of what I\u2019m working on. I\u2019m playing with themes of agency and power and the cost of those and what it means to seek one\u2019s worth and how that plays out, from the tyrannies we do to ourselves, to the interpersonal tyrannies of immediate family and society, to the overall sociological tyrannies that get perpetrated.<\/p>\n

\n\tIf there\u2019s anything that\u2019s consistent throughout human history, it\u2019s that. I\u2019ve read a lot of historical texts along the way and if Marcus Aurelius was talking about it in Meditations, it seems pretty ingrained in us. But also so are the beauties and the possibilities of rising above it.<\/p>\n