If Jarvis Collegiate can play Harvard University, actress Joey Lauren Adams can certainly portray a philosophy professor.

That's what the 32-year-old Adams was doing this week while shooting James Toback's film, Harvard Man, at the Jarvis St. high school auditorium.

In the comedy-drama, Sarah Michelle Gellar, of Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV fame, stars. She plays a cheerleader whose Harvard basketball-playing boyfriend (Adrian Grenier) gets sexually involved with Adams' free-spirited professor. That's a change of pace. But hey, if Adams can play a lovable lawyer in Big Daddy, a horny professor shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

Horny? It's a Toback picture. The production is sort of like Toback's two previous steamy relationship movies, Two Girls And A Guy and Black And White.

"Everyone's involved in Harvard Man," suggests a giggling Adams during a lunch break at her dressing room trailer near the school. "If you signed a contract for this movie, you are definitely having sex."

Slight exaggeration aside, Arkansas-born Adams was excited but relieved to have her lecture scenes over.

"It was a really good lecture on fear and dread," she says in her distinctive reed-thin voice, minus the drawl. "I got to stand on the podium in front of 150 kids. It was nice, but I'm glad it's over."

So, coincidentally, is the Toronto part of the schedule. Cast and crew are in Cambridge, Mass., today, finishing off Harvard Man exteriors -- yes Harvard plays Harvard. The picture will wrap Sunday after less than 30 days of filming.

From there, Adams is heading to L.A., where she hopes to complete a screenplay she's been working on. She'll also get acquainted with her home again.

Previous to the Harvard Man shoot, Adams was in Miami doing the movie, In The Shadows, with James Caan, Matthew Modine and Cuba Gooding Jr. "It's about a mob guy who gets hired to assassinate a stuntman," on a film set.

The In The Shadows production had a few more studio-style trappings compared to the lean operation that was Harvard Man.

But Adams points out she has been featured in things with tighter budgets. "In Chasing Amy we were doing our own make-up sharing the same trailer."

Still, she says she appreciates Toback's lightning fast pace. And she's all for Toback's celebrated experimenting.

"And if I'm going to try stuff, I'd rather do it in an independent James Toback film than a movie opening on 3,000 screens.

"I could've said to James, 'I want to pick my nose in every scene. He'd say, 'Okay, let's try it.' "

As it is, Adams feels she took her portrayal to the limit.

"My character's very honest with people that she's acting on the dark side," reports Adams. "She blackmails, she bribes."

The actress concludes gleefully: "I'm not the nice girl in the movie."

Then she adds: "I'm definitely not the one who laughs at all the guy's jokes," referring to her Big Daddy part opposite Adam Sandler.

So what was that Big Daddy part good for? "Paycheques, but not a lot of fun."


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